On a sweltering 90-degree day at Kokomo Municipal Stadium, the Jackrabbits battled their toughest games of the season in a doubleheader against the division-leading Rockford Rivets. Despite their efforts, the Jackrabbits fell short in both games on Wednesday, dropping their record to 3-19.

The Rivets have dominated the series, winning the first three games in convincing fashion, and will aim for a sweep to close out the four-game series on Thursday evening.

In game one, the Jackrabbits stumbled early, falling behind 3-0 before their first at-bat. Kokomo’s starting pitcher, Connor Throneberry, exited after just one inning, having surrendered three runs and two triples. The bullpen struggled, walking 13 batters in the 13-6 loss. However, the Jackrabbits’ offense showed sparks of life, with JJ Dutton, Lukas Farris, Jace Phelan, and Derek Seigneur each recording two hits.

Trailing 6-5 entering the sixth inning, Kokomo had a chance to rally, but a seven-run sixth inning by Rockford dashed their hopes. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Rockford’s Maddox Mihalakis hit a grand slam to right field, widening the gap to 10-5 and sealing Kokomo’s fate.

In game two, the Jackrabbits briefly held the upper hand. JJ Dutton scored on an error in the first inning, giving Kokomo a 1-0 lead. They maintained this narrow advantage until the sixth inning when Rockford’s Ryan Bakes launched a three-run homer over the 330 sign in left field, shifting the momentum back to the Rivets.

Rockford added two more runs in the seventh inning, courtesy of a Mihalakis RBI double and a Ryan Brake sacrifice fly, extending their lead to 5-1. In the eighth, Scott Newman’s two-RBI single to center made the score 7-2. The Rivets collected 14 hits compared to Kokomo’s three and ultimately secured an 8-2 victory, striking out nine Jackrabbits in the process.

The Jackrabbits, now just 1-10 at Kokomo Municipal Stadium, are in desperate need of a resurgence to get back on track. They will play the final game of the four-game series against the 17-6 Rockford Rivets on Thursday, June 20th, with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch.

Article written by Charlie Huiras