The Rockford Rivets open the season splitting the initial series with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at one game a piece. Due to a rainout on May 28, game one was suspended, causing a double header on May 29.
Rivet’s starting pitcher Cory Wright met with the media to discuss his thoughts before the continuation of game one.
“It felt good,” says Wright, “Getting back to the mound makes me extremely excited for this season. I’ve learned a lot of leadership skills for both on and off the field with Valdosta State, and I’m excited to put them to good use.”
Wright let through only two hits and zero runs before being relieved by Carter Lawler, and from there, the Rafter’s pitching staff dominated. Collectively, the Wisconsin Rapids pitchers threw 15 strikeouts on the day.
There wasn’t much action at the plate for Rockford, as the Rafter’s shut out the Rivets 2-0. Needless to say, it was a pitcher’s duel.
Game two was all about Rockford’s hot bats. Over innings number two and three, the screws scored 4 runs. Toronto native Malik Williams blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall to put the stamp on a victory for the Rivets.
Williams was the player to watch on Wednesday with a trio of hits, and plenty of action in the batter’s box.
“I was just seeing the ball well tonight,” said Williams in a post game interview. “Solid contact was being made, and I thought I fought some good battles today to keep my plate appearances alive.”
Williams added a little bit of humor stating “I’m going to hit that window in left field one of these days.”
Rockford survived to improve the overall record to 1-1 with a 5-3 win over Wisconsin Rapids.
Baseball action continues at Choice Furniture Field at Rivets Stadium on May 30 at 6:35 PM, as the Rivets welcome newcomers to the league, the Traverse City Pit Spitters.
Call the box office at 815-240-4159 for tickets.
The Rockford Rivets are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.rockfordrivets.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rivets as your favorite team.
