BATTLE CREEK, Mich – Left handed pitcher Cody Puckett (Middle Tennessee State) was too much for the Rivets on Sunday, tossing six and one-thirds innings in his first start as the Battle Creek Bombers beat the Rockford Rivets 4-2 at C.O Brown Stadium.

Puckett (2-1) allowed one earned run and just five Rivets hits while walking two and striking out five.  Kirkwood College lefty Nick Drahozal (3-3) took the loss, tossing six innings and allowing three earned runs and seven hits in the game.  Brandon Guske (Freed-Hardeman) earned his eighth save by getting the last four outs.

The scoring would start in the fourth inning.  After a double by Daniel Jipping (Central Michigan) and a fielders’ choice not completed put runners on the corners with nobody out, Dean Miller (Riverside City College) hit the second pitch he saw from Drahozal into shallow right field for a fielders’ choice, scoring Jipping for a 1-0 lead.  The Bombers would add to the lead in the fifth.  After Cody Young (Austin Peay) walked and Eric Gilgenbach (Notre Dame) doubled, Jarrod Watkins (Central Michigan) would drive them both home with a single to right to make it 3-0.

Braden Williams (Texas Tech) would drive home both Rivets runs, one on a walk and one on a single in the ninth against Guske, but it was not enough.

The Rivets will continue the two game series against the Bombers in Battle Creek on Monday night at 6:05 p.m.  Broadcasts and live streams can be found at NorthwoodsLeague.com. 

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.