When Max Babich entered onto the mound in the top of the eighth, the Kokomo defense was in desperate need for a shutout inning.

 

 Down 3-2 with Kokomo’s pitching staff having pitched three consecutive scoreless innings into the eighth, Babich was put into a tough spot from the jump. Babich had two choices; either keep the Jackrabbits’ hope intact, or let Battle Creek’s middle of the lineup blow the game open. 

 

Babich went with the first option. He walked the first two batters, putting Battle Creek’s Garret Smith and Cody Hultink on first and second base with nobody out. The following at-bat welcomed a third Battle Creek baserunner to the pond, off of a single from Troy Stukenberg which loaded the bases, still with nobody out. 

 

It was at this point, with the bases loaded and the jam growing larger, where Max Babich went to a different level. The lefthander struck out Sam Griffith in an eight pitch at-bat, giving the infield a little breathing room. 

 

 With one out away, Babich struck out another, this time on three pitches. Needing just one more out to get out of a game-altering jam, Babich struck out his third straight batter, this time on a 3-2 count. 

 

“I think he [Babich] took a step forward tonight and I’m proud of him for doing that,” Jackrabbit Manager Johnston Hobbs said. “That’s mental toughness right there, he buckled down tonight and I enjoyed watching him”. 

 

In the bottom of the eighth, the Jackrabbits continued the momentum, scoring two runs to take a 4-3 lead. Back-to-back hits from Ethan Rossi and Aidan Mcaskie put both runners in scoring position, leaving the offense in prime position. 

 

A walk from Joey Cicini and a flyout from Jack Anderson loaded the bases with one out. The following at-bat welcomed Aiden Schenk, who took first base after being hit in the arm. 

 

The hit by pitch tied the game at 4-4, with a shallow fly ball to center field from Michael Flaherty scoring Aidan Mcaskie for the go-ahead run.

 

With the score now 4-3 in Kokomo’s favor, Jackrabbits’ closer Noah Wing finished the job on the mound in the ninth. Wing pitched to two straight infield ground balls for a quick two outs, needing just one more to complete the eighth inning comeback. 

 

After an error put Battle Creek’s Caleb Estrada at second, Wing got the following batter Garret Smith to flyout into center to seal Kokomo’s victory, their 20th this season.

 

The Jackrabbits are back in action at Kokomo Municipal Stadium to conclude the two-game series against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks Thursday, August 8th.

 

 

Article written by Charlie Huiras