By Grant Montgomery
After a rough start to the six game road trip, the Rivets finished strong by winning three straight contests. Rockford defeated the Battle Creek Bombers on Wednesday night, and then took a trip to Kalamazoo where they swept the two game series against the Growlers.
In the series finale against Battle Creek on Wednesday night, the Rivets won by a score of 3-1. It was a pitching clinic for Rockford in this one, as the pitching staff allowed only one unearned run. The game was started by right hander Zack Jones, who was outstanding on the evening. He pitched seven complete innings, while only allowing three base hits while striking out seven batters. His ERA on the season is now 1.71, which ranks 8th in the Northwoods League. After the exit by Jones, the bullpen was able to lock things down with Trevin Eubanks earning the win, and Tanner Propst getting the save. Rivets manager spoke highly of both Jones and the bullpen, saying, “Zack always puts us in a spot to win. Our bullpen has been consistent lately because we have been able to execute our game plan.” The Rivets now own a 2.96 earned run average on the season.
After a great team win against the Bombers, it was off to Kalamazoo for a two game set. The Rivets defeated the Growlers by a score of 6-3 in game one. Starting pitching was strong for Rockford in this one as well. Kasey Ford was on the hill, and he had another great outing. His line was 6 IP, 10 H, 1 R, and 4 K. Though he had to work around ten hits, he was able to limit the damage to only one earned run. Offense in this one came from Tom Josten and Nolan Snyder. They each recorded multi-hit games while driving in two runs each. Their timely hitting was recognized by Keim, “We have different guys step up in big situations offensively, and timely hitting is key to our teams success.”
In the finale of the series, the Rivets put on quite the offensive showing, as the final score was 10-7. Eight of Rockford’s ten runs came in the 5th inning of this contest. After three straight batters loaded the bases, Matt Higgins was in the middle of the action once again. His two RBI single got things going for the Rivets. Aaron Mann also followed suit by bringing in a run on a double, and then came around to score on a wild pitch. Though the Rivets scored ten runs, it may have been a little too close for comfort in the end. Entering the 9th inning, Rockford lead 10-4, and after allowing three runs to cross home, Tanner Propst was able to slam the door and capture their victory.
Quick turnaround for the Rivets, as they are back home for a five game home stand starting Saturday night against Battle Creek. They look to make it four straight wins for the first time on the year.
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.
