RICHMOND, Ind. – The Richmond Flying Mummies split Saturday’s doubleheader with the Traverse City Pit Spitters at McBride Stadium, taking the opener 8-5 before falling 13-3 in the second. Richmond moves to 16-18 on the season, while Traverse City departs Richmond at 21-13 and tied for first place in the Great Lakes East Division.

In Game 1, the Flying Mummies capitalized on patience at the plate and timely hitting to secure the 8-5 victory. Richmond struck first in the bottom of the opening inning. Drew Phillips singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Colton Sims to give the Mummies an early 1-0 advantage.

Traverse City answered with two runs in the second, taking advantage of a Richmond error, but the Mummies responded immediately. Richmond plated four runs in the bottom half of the inning despite recording just one hit. Caden Fahy drew one of his three walks in the contest, while Weston Mazey and Drew Phillips each forced in runs after being hit by pitches. Maxwell Molessa added a sacrifice fly before Mazey crossed the plate on aggressive baserunning and a defensive miscue, giving Richmond a 5-2 lead.

The Mummies added another run in the third when Jackson Thomas singled home Trenton Lombardo, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Traverse City responded, trimming the deficit to 6-3 in the fourth on Zach Carlson’s sacrifice fly, but Richmond put the game away in the sixth. Molessa singled before Sims and Eli Bennett delivered back-to-back hits, including Bennett’s RBI double. Jackson Cliatt followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 8-3. The Pit Spitters scored twice in the seventh before Beau Pasteur recorded the final two outs to seal the win.

Danny Harris earned the victory, improving to 3-1 after allowing four earned runs across 6.1 innings while striking out four. Pasteur closed out the final two-thirds of an inning. Offensively, Richmond collected 12 hits. Molessa finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, Sims went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, Thomas added two hits and an RBI, while Mazey, Phillips, Bennett and Lombardo each drove in runs.

Traverse City bounced back in Game 2 behind a dominant performance from starting pitcher Connor Kelly and a decisive eight-run third inning. The clubs traded runs in the opening frame. Jacob Kucharczyk doubled and scored on Zach Kucharczyk’s RBI single for the Pit Spitters before Richmond answered when Molessa singled and later scored on Landen Fry’s RBI double.

After stranding three runners in the second, Traverse City erupted in the third. The Pit Spitters sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring eight runs on four hits while also taking advantage of a Richmond error and several walks. Ethan Guerra highlighted the inning with a two-run double, while JT Smith and Zach Carlson each contributed run-scoring doubles.

Traverse City added four more runs in the fourth inning, pushing its advantage to 13-1. Guerra, Aaron Grant and Colin Sander each recorded RBI hits during the frame, while Carlson forced in another run with a bases-loaded walk.

Richmond managed single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Prince DeBoskie scored on Jackson Thomas’ RBI double in the sixth, and Weston Mazey crossed the plate in the seventh following a groundout by Fry.

Kelly earned the win for Traverse City, improving to 4-1 after striking out 11 across 5.1 innings while allowing two runs. Miles Williams finished the final 1.2 innings in relief.

Fry led the Richmond offense, finishing 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Mazey and Molessa each recorded two hits, while DeBoskie reached base three times and scored once. Across the doubleheader, Molessa continued his quick start with Richmond, going a combined 4-for-7, while Mazey collected three hits and Fry drove in four runs. Traverse City’s offense was led by Ethan Guerra, who drove in four runs in Game 2. Jacob Kucharczyk reached base five times and scored three runs, while JT Smith reached safely four times.

The Flying Mummies return to action Sunday as they continue their homestand at McBride Stadium, facing off against the 12-21 Rockford Rivets. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM ET.

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The Richmond Flying Mummies are a proud member of the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 410 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (BAL) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM). League games are viewable live on FloSports.tv.