Recap: Battle Creek 12, Kenosha 8

Tuesday, July 22nd 2025

BATTLE CREEK, MI – Kenosha falls back below .500 in the second half after a defensive meltdown led to the fish blowing a 6-0 lead. 

Kenosha was unable to win a third straight game for the second time this year. It looked as though they were headed that way. With 2-out and no one on in the 2nd, Dominic Kibler reached on an error which started a string of nine straight Kingfish reaching and six runs crossing. 

However in the top of the 3rd it was the Kingfish defense betraying them. Travis Maxwell, the Kenosha starter, retired the first and third men he saw, but the second and fourth both reached on errors, which set the stage for a Cody Hultink 2RBI-double, Caleb Estrada RBI-single and Hunter Smolinski RBI-triple that brought Battle Creek within two.

It only took them an inning to get those two. In the 4th Gianni Royer had the big hit, a 2-RBI single to tie the game at six. Maxwell’s final line was five innings, seven hits, six runs, with only two of them earned, no walks and three strikeouts. For the season, Maxwell now has allowed 13 runs with only four of them earned.

The Kingfish responded to take the lead in the 5th though. Dominic Kibler stole home on a double-steal and later with 2-outs Ethan Hindle served an RBI-single to left to give the fish an 8-6 lead. Matthew Woodward came on to relieve Maxwell in the 6th and the trend of unearned runs continued. An error on Robert Newland in right field allowed Keaton Fisher to score, then a batter later Royer came through with an RBI-single, his third RBI of the game to tie it up at eight.

It was gearing up for another close one, but in the 7th Battle Creek burst out. Chris Rooney, who has been steady all year, could only record one out. The Battle Jacks had seven straight reach. Halen Otte’s RBI-single gave the Jacks the lead. Afterwards Fisher and Brendan Thompson both delivered RBI knocks leading Battle Creek to a four-run inning. 

They maintained a 12-8 lead into the 9th. Coming into the game the Kingfish were 23-30 and in 22 of the 30 losses brought the tying run to the plate. They did it once again in the 9th. The bases were loaded for Tyler Horner, but he grounded out to end the game. 

Kenosha drops to 9-10 in the second half while Battle Creek improves to 7-12. Traverse City swept a double-header from the Rivets leaving Kenosha four and a half games behind the Pit Spitters for first in the Great Lakes East.