On Thursday night at Kokomo Municipal Stadium, the Jackrabbits competed until the very last pitch. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the tying run at second base, Kokomo’s offense fell short once again, losing to the Kalamazoo Growlers 3-2. 

Thursday’s game started on a bleak note for Kokomo, as they gave up a leadoff double followed by a two-run home run, making it 2-0 after the first inning. Kalamazoo’s Reagan Paulina hit a no-doubt homer to right, which could have easily sparked a potential blowout. Instead, Kokomo’s starter Frederick Romano settled in and gave his team a chance to respond.

Despite being charged as the losing pitcher on Thursday, Romano was the glue that kept Kokomo in the game until the bitter end. Romano went five innings, striking out six and giving up two runs. After allowing Paulina’s home run in the first, he shut down the Growlers offense until he exited with migraine pains. 

“Freddie never gets rattled, so if he gets behind he’s able to come back and get strikeouts and outs,” Jackrabbits manager Johnston Hobbs said. “He had a migraine tonight so we had to pull him out, but I hope he feels better for his next start because he is very consistent.”

Though Kokomo fell short tonight, the Jackrabbits offense played with a new sense of urgency and confidence. The Jackrabbits outhit the Growlers 9-7, and suffered just a single strikeout from their starting lineup. On Thursday, three Kokomo starters recorded multi-hit performances, including Luke Matthews, who made his Jackrabbit debut.

Matthews, who is fresh off of a plane from Palomar, California went 2-for-4 while flashing the leather at shortstop. 

“I was more impressed with his defense, how smooth he is, and how good his glove is,” Hobbs said. “The hitting was just an added bonus because he’s hitting the ball hard.”

The other multi-hit performances from Kokomo came from center-fielder David Ayers and catcher Derek Seigneur. Ayers also went 2-for-4, while Seigneur went 2-for-3 with an RBI. 

Seigneur’s RBI in the third inning made it a 2-1 game early on. Later, after Kalamazoo’s Kevin Krill drove in the Growlers’ third run in the seventh, the Jackrabbits’ Cole Yearsley scored on an error, which ended up as the final run for Kokomo’s offense.

After coming up short with David Ayers in scoring position in the ninth, the Jackrabbits have now suffered five consecutive losses, still in search of their first home win. 

“Today’s approach was to focus on the things we can control internally,” Hobbs said. “But tonight, I’ve got no reason to be upset with these guys because of the way they played. Their energy was better, and our outcome was improved.”

After Thursday’s 3-2 loss, the Jackrabbits now have a record of 1-9. Kokomo will hit the road to complete the four-game series against the Kalamazoo Growlers on Friday and Saturday.

 

Article Written by Charlie Huiras