With two outs in the top of the seventh and the Jackrabbits trailing 5-4, Kokomo needed just one more out to give their offense a chance to tie the game or take their first lead. However, Rockford’s Nick Barone had other plans. With runners on first and second, Barone smashed a triple to the fence in right-center, bringing in two RBIs and extending Rockford’s lead to 7-4.

Barone’s two-out triple unleashed Rockford’s offense. The next eight batters all reached base safely, crushing any remaining hopes for Kokomo. Following Barone’s triple, Rockford mounted a relentless two-out rally, racking up six more hits and plating seven runs. After Barone, Rockford’s offense recorded five singles and a double from Isaac Lopez, making the score 12-4 by the end of the top of the seventh, all with two outs.

In the bottom of the seventh, Kokomo’s JJ Dutton blasted the second pitch of the inning past Brayden Bakes’ glove in right field for an inside-the-park home run, his second homer this season. With the score now 12-5, Kokomo could not find any more offense in the seventh, leaving Rockford to continue their offensive downpour.

Following a scoreless eighth inning from both sides, the Rockford Rivets added six more runs in the ninth, scoring 13 runs in the seventh and ninth combined. Before the Rivets poured on the runs late in the game, Kokomo had put together an encouraging performance before the wheels fell off. Kokomo’s pitching staff recorded 10 total strikeouts, and the offense recorded 11 hits. Despite these promising numbers, consistency from start to finish remains the issue for Kokomo. While the 10 strikeouts seemed promising, the Jackrabbits walked 11 batters on Tuesday, a number that is far too common 20 games into the season.

As Kokomo found themselves down to their last three outs in the ninth with the score 18-5, the Jackrabbits mustered three more runs to limit the damage. Sacrifice flies from James Oman and Bodee Wright scored two runs, while an RBI single from Nolan Christianson added another.

The Jackrabbits lost 18-8 to the Rivets, having now lost six of their last seven games. Kokomo holds a record of 3-17 and will play games two and three of a four-game series on Wednesday, June 19th.

Article written by Charlie Huiras