LOVES PARK, IL. – Rockford has been on a tear since the second half began.
The Rivets (29-22, 12-5) won their fifth game in a row on Tuesday night as they defeated the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (38-15, 11-6) by a final score of 4-3. The win gives Rockford its first sweep of the Rafters this season and sole possession of 1st place in the second half standings.
Rockford took an early 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning behind a pair of RBI singles from Zach Rheams (Texas Tech) and Brett Whelton (McNeese State).
In the 4th, Rockford went up 4-0. Anthony Forte (Richmod) led off with a double and Ryan Hutchinson (Illinois State) brought him home with an RBI groundout. Neal Tyrell (Lewis) tripled later in the inning, plating Hunter Feduccia (LSU) to extend the lead.
The Rafters would not go quietly. Will Davis (Hope International) reached second base on a Rockford throwing error before being driven home by Jared Nelson (UC-Santa Barbara). Nelson scored later in the inning, cutting Rockford’s lead to 4-2 in the 5th.
The Rivets were unable to score again in the game, but they maintained their lead into the 9th as Zack Thomas (Chicago St.) came in for the save. Despite giving up an RBI single, he was able to induce a flyout to end the game and give Rockford the 4-3 victory. Max Bain (Northwood, 2-0) got the victory for Rockford with five strong innings of work.
The Rivets face off against the Madison Mallards on Wednesday for a home-and-home double header. Wednesday’s game will be an 11:00a.m. first pitch at Rivets Stadium. It’s Wiener Wednesday, which means $1 hot dogs all game! The Rivets will be back home for a 6:35 p.m. Fans can call the Rockford Rivets ticket office at 815.240.4159 to inquire about tickets and upcoming games and promotions.
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, 180 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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