By: Larry Larson

After entering the bottom of the 7th inning with a 3-1 lead, Jake Armstrong (R-So, UW-Milwaukee) surrendered two home runs to squander the lead, leading to a 4-3 loss to the Lakeshore Chinooks on Friday night at Kapco Park.

The loss drops the Rivets to 8-10, while the victory is Lakeshore’s 6th straight.

After the Chinooks knocked around the Rivets for 5 runs in the first inning on Thursday night, Rockford gave them a taste of their own medicine, plating 2 runs in the top of the first.

With two outs, Brody Harding (So, Illinois) singled up the middle to score Josue Urdeneta (R-Fr, Indiana State). Brian Fuentes followed the act with a second two-out knock to score Wade Elliott (So, Louisiana Tech) to push the lead to 2-0.

Ross Thompson (R-Jr, Hiedelberg) kept Lakeshore off the scoreboard in the first two innings, marking just the fifth time a Rivets’ arm has done so all season.

The Chinooks would get one back in the 3rd inning on an RBI groundout, but Thompson limited the damage by stranding runners on 2nd and 3rd.

Rockford would grow its lead in the 5th inning, as Elliott scored Tyeler Hawkins (R-Fr, Louisville) on an RBI single to center to make it a 3-1 ballgame.

The score would hold there until Armstrong came on for Thompson in the 7th. After walking the leadoff batter, Mike Sears (R-Jr, Indiana State) hit an opposite field fly ball that carried over the right field fence to tie the game at 3.

Armstrong bounced back by striking out back-to-back batters, but then hung a breaking ball to Brennan Bales (R-So, Houston Baptist), who crushed it over the left field wall to give Lakeshore the lead.

The Rivets were set down in order in their final six outs, including the final three pitched by Bales, to seal the loss.

Thompson made another strong start, allowing one run in six innings, striking out five, but got the no-decision. Armstrong was handed the loss.

The Rivets will take on another Great Lakes West opponent tonight, as they travel to Wausau to begin a two game set with the Wisconsin Woodchucks.

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The Rockford Rivets are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27^th season, the Northwoods 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 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.