KENOSHA, WI — The Kenosha Kingfish took a 4-1 loss to the Kalamazoo Growlers tonight at Historic Simmons Field.

The Kingfish finished their away series in Kalamazoo 1-1, hoping to gain the upper hand as they continue to face the Growlers in the comfort of Kenosha, but fell short in their third match-up

No time was wasted for the Growlers, as they immediately got things rolling with some small ball.

After leadoff hitter KJ White reached first base safely on an infield single, Brodey Acres continued to mess with the Kenosha infield, directing a perfectly-placed bunt down the first base line, giving the Kingfish no chance to make a play.

With two runners on, it was expected that Noah Coy—currently batting .500 on the year—would swing away. Instead, the three-spot hitter squared up, bunting the ball directly back to Kenosha’s starting pitcher Sam Reed to make the play at first, but got the job done of advancing his baserunners into scoring position for Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe.

Unlike his teammates, Rienstra-Kiracofe had the green light to let it rip.

The clean-up batter sent a deep fly ball to right field to ultimately be caught; however, White on third made his way home to put the first run on the board for the Growlers.

As the top of the first closed out, the Kingfish wouldn’t let the Growlers’ first attack go unanswered.

Jadan Boyce was the first to touch the bases for the Kingfish, reaching first on a walk. Soon enough, he would advance twice as Ryan Bakes was hit by a pitch and Trent Abel poked a single up the middle to load the bases.

Jacob Vokal in the DH spot took advantage of the loaded bases, ripping a single into right field, bringing Boyce around to score and tie things up 1-1. However, that was the only run that the Kingfish would score for the remainder of the night.

Kalamazoo re-took the lead in the sixth inning with Brady Chambers hitting Trevor Johnson with bases loaded, with Jayce Lee sacrificing a double play for another run.

Lee had his second RBI of the night in the eighth, sending a sacrifice fly out to left field, allowing the Growlers’ fourth run to score. 

The Kingfish will face the Growlers one more time in their four-game series stretch tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m.

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The Kenosha Kingfish are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans in a friendly ballpark experience than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, 360 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network.  Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.kenoshakingfish.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Kingfish as your favorite team.