KALAMAZOO, Mich – Texas Tech’s Hunter Hargrove hit a grand slam as part of a six-run fifth inning as the Rockford Rivets came back to defeat the Kalamazoo Growlers 10-8 Sunday at Homer Stryker Field.
After left hander Nick Drahozal (Kirkwood CC) struggled to contain the Growlers bats and gave up six runs in three and one-third innings, the bats would wake up after trailing through four innings 6-1. Cory Wright (Parkland CC) led off the inning with a bunt single and Gavin Johnson (Rice) walked. After an out, Michael Smith (San Jacinto JC) singled to score Wright to make it 6-2. Walks to Cade Bunnell (Madison Tech) and David Cronin (Illinois-Chicago) forced home a run to make it 6-3. Hargrove then hit the first pitch from Pittsburg State’s Drake Hermann (1-2) over the party porch in left for a grand slam and a 7-6 lead.
Kalamazoo got two runs in the fifth, but again Rockford responded. Wright walked and Johnson hit an opposite field two-run home run to left field to give the Rivets a 9-8 lead. Chicago State’s Jake Perkins (2-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win and Zach Olszewski (Bethune-Cookman) picked up his seventh save after an insurance run scored on an error in the ninth to set the score at 10-8.
The Rivets will return from the all-star break by opening a two game series against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at Witter Field on Thursday night at 7:05. 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.
