MADISON, WIS. – It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t quick. But it was enough for Rockford to come out on top.
In a game that lasted nearly four hours, Rockford and Madison combined for nine errors, a total of 26 runs were scored, and the Rivets took the second game of the double header Wednesday in Madison by a final score of 15-11.
Rockford (30-23, 12-6) wasted no time getting in the runs on the board, managing two runs in the 1st without recording a hit. Brynn Martinez (Quincy) scored off a Madison throwing error, and Zach Rheams (Texas Tech) scored on a Kian O’Brien (Madison College) RBI sacrifice fly. Rockford got another run in the top of the second to lead 3-0.
Madison (30-24, 11-8) hit back, as David Vinsky (Northwood) took Rockford starter Eli Baez (Lackawanna) deep to left field, cutting Rockford’s early lead to 3-1 after the 2nd.
Rockford showed they could score in bunches throughout the game. Thanks to a pair of singles and a walk, Rockford plated three base runners in the 3rd. The Rivets managed three more in the 5th as well, with Logan Michaels (Madison College) reaching on an error and scoring, Trevor Paradoski (Texas Tech) singling and scoring and Martinez singling and scoring himself. At that point, Rockford led 6-1 after three innings.
The Rivets never trailed, but the scoring went back and forth for the remainder of the game. The Mallards got four runs in the bottom of the 4th to come within a run; Rockford responded with three more in the top of the 5th. After the Mallards scored once again in the bottom half of the 5th, thanks in part to a Rockford error, Rockford scored three more in the 6th.
Rockford headed to the 9th with a 15-9 lead, and even then the Mallards would not go away. Thomas Smart (Oakton) and Cade Bunnell (Madison College) both scored in the inning to bring Madison within four runs, but Ben Folger (Ripon) shut the door with a runner in scoring position to give Rockford the win. In all, there were seven unearned runs scored in the game that was plagued with both fielding and throwing errors. Rockford remains on top of the South Division by a half game with the win.
Rockford’s next home game will be on Friday, July 28th for a 6:35 p.m. game against the Lakeshore Chinooks. You won’t want to miss this game – there will be a post game fireworks show!
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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