Madison, WI – The Traverse City Pit Spitters (29-24) scored five runs in the final two innings of the game to defeat the Madison Mallards (35-16) 7-5 on Thursday night at Warner Park.
The Mallards scored first in the bottom of the second inning, when Shai Robinson (Illinois State) ripped an RBI single to left field to score Alex Harrell (Arkansas State – Mountain Home). The lead didn’t last long however, as a two-run single in the top of the third from Robinson’s college teammate JT Sockolove (Illinois State) gave Traverse City a 2-1 lead.
Coley Kilpatrick (North Carolina A&T) delivered another solid outing for the Mallards on the mound. He allowed two runs over five innings and struck out five. He lowered his season ERA to 3.96.
The Mallards took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth, when Frankie Carney (UC Irvine) punched a two-run double to center field, scoring Justin Best (Florida State) and Will Vierling (Louisville). Best extended the lead for the Mallards in the bottom of the sixth inning, when he lined a two-run single to left field, making the Mallards lead 5-2.
The Pit Spitters mounted a furious comeback in the late innings. With the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Ethan Belk (Wofford College) belted a bases-clearing triple to the wall to even the game 5-5. Then in the ninth inning, Ethan Guerra (Arizona) launched a two-run home run to give Traverse City a 7-5 lead. They would hold on to win by that score and stun the Mallards.
Caleb Reed (Kansas City Community College) was credited with the win in relief for the Pit Spitters, his first of the season. Liam McKillop (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville) was charged with the loss for the Mallards. Mason Hill (Aquinas College) earned his fourth save of the season for Traverse City.
With the loss, the Mallards fall to 11-6 in the second half, and sit in second place in the Great Lakes West division. The Pit Spitters improve to 12-6, and jump into first place in the Great Lakes East division.
The two teams will meet again on Friday night at Warner Park to wrap up the two-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
