LOVES PARK, Ill. – The Rockford Rivets’ seven-game winning streak ended on Wednesday with a 10-3 loss to the Battle Creek Bombers at Rivets Stadium.
Battle Creek broke a 1-1 tie with a five-run second inning and led the rest of the night. In the second, the Bombers loaded the bases with nobody out. Rockford starter Cole Bellair walked Eric Gilgenbach to force home the go-ahead run, then threw a run-scoring wild pitch. Truman Brown followed with a sacrifice fly, Jarrod Watkins tripled in a run and Nick Podkul hit another sacrifice fly.
Bellair (1-2) gave up four hits and walked three in two innings and took the loss.
Battle Creek starter Tommy Parsons struck out nine and walked three over 6 1/3 innings for the win. Parsons (2-1) gave up three runs on three hits, among them Cade Bunnell’s two-run homer in the seventh inning.
Bunnell’s first home run of the year, a fly off the right-center field light pole, was the first homer hit by the Rivets in their home ballpark.
The Rivets travel to Lakeshore to play the Chinooks at 6:35 p.m. Thursday at Kapco Park. Broadcasts and live streams can be found at NorthwoodsLeague.com.
Rockford’s next home game is 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, when they play the Kenosha Kingfish.
Rockford is a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League, which will play its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2016. The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (Chicago White Sox), Jordan Zimmermann (Detroit Tigers), Curtis Granderson (New York Mets), Lucas Duda (Mets) and Ben Zobrist (Chicago Cubs). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website, NorthwoodsLeague.com. For more information, visit RockfordRivets.com.
