Rockford RHP Evan Snyder pitches in Sunday's game against the Battle Creek Bombers. Photo Courtesy of Doug Timmermann and JK Richards Photography
LOVES PARK, Ill. – Battle Creek nearly let another one slip away, but ended up leaving town with two victories this weekend.
Matt Miller (Louisiana Tech) got the start for the Rivets and faced off against Tucker Mai (Clarke University) for the Bombers. Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, but the Bombers managed three runs off Miller in the third inning. Neal Tyrell (Lewis) of Rockford scored in the bottom of the third off a wild pitch and the Rivets got within one run in the fourth off a sacrifice from Nate Montgomery (South Suburban College).
Rockford came back again in the sixth inning and scored a run when Tyrell drove in Cal Aldridge (Wisconsin-Whitewater), but Bombers reliever Jake Hawken (University of Portland) was able to get out of the inning with a runner still on base to keep the score tied at 3-3.
Cody Hawken (Portland) scored for Battle Creek in the seventh off Rivets pitcher Evan Snyder (Parkland Community College), but this was the only run Snyder allowed in five innings of relief. Trailing 4-3 heading to the ninth, Rockford once again flirted with victory. With two outs, Nate Montgomery made it to first on a dropped strike three and subsequent throwing error, allowing John Rave to score all the way from first and tie the game. Just as Rockford thought victory was within reach, the umpires reversed the dropped strike three call to end the game at 4-3, giving the Bombers the victory.
Rockford hits the road tomorrow for a two-game trip to Fond du Lac against the Dock Spiders and two more games in Madison versus the Mallards before returning home on June 9th.
The game on June 9th at Rivets Stadium begins at 6:35 p.m. and there will be a laser light show after the game presented by Mercy Health System. It is also Friday Happy Hour! Don’t forget to order your Rivets tickets today by calling the Rockford Rivets ticket office at 815.240.4159.
The Rockford Rivets are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League, which will play its 24th season of summer collegiate baseball in 2017. The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 170 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals), two-time World Champion Ben Zobrist (Chicago Cubs) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox), Jordan Zimmermann (Detroit Tigers), Curtis Granderson (New York Mets) and Lucas Duda (Mets). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website, NorthwoodsLeague.com.
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