It was Wrestling Night at Rivets Stadium, as pro wrestler Tommy Dreamer was in the house to celebrate the event. The contest was spoiled by the visiting Kalamazoo Growlers as they took down the Rivets by a score of 6-4.
Walks were the issue once again for the Rockford Rivets, as the pitching staff issued seven free passes to the Growlers. Starter Jimmy Burnette, who was coming off an All-Star nod did not have his best stuff tonight as he was only able to get through the first two innings. His final line on the evening was 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, and 2 K. He took the loss in the game, and his record now sits at 1-2.
The Growlers went on to score four more runs in the second inning of the contest off Rivets reliever Mitch Rogers. He coughed up four runs in one inning pitched, which was a result of three hits and one walk. This was all the Growlers needed to complete the victory in the first game of the series.
It was another tough day at the dish for the Rivets, as they were unable to get any timely hitting going. Rockford had only one extra base hit in the contest, which was off the bat of Matt Higgins. This was part of the two run 6th inning that the Rivets had on the evening. He and Andrew Wilhite were the only two Rockford batters that drove in runs.
Perhaps it was more the Growlers pitching than it was the Rivets hitting. Growlers starter Spencer Juergens was outstanding on the night, as he went the distance in the contest. He got the win on the night which evens his record at 2-2. His final line on the afternoon was 9.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BB, and 6 K. His ERA on the season now sits at an even 5.00 on the season.
The Rivets were unable to gain ground in the standings against the Growlers. They are now a full game out of a playoff spot and look to pick it back up tomorrow against the same club. First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 tomorrow morning in Rockford.
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.
