By Ashley Birkeness
Rockford, IL – In the first game of the border battle between the Rockford Rivets and the Lakeshore Chinooks, the Rivets strung together three home runs lifting them to a 7-6 victory on Monday.
The festivities of home runs for the Rivets started in the first inning when Dustin Allen lifted his first home run of the season over the right field wall to give the Rivets a 1-0 lead.
The Rivets were not the only ones racking in the home runs, as Lakeshore’s Cody Kelly led off the top of the second inning with a home run of his own to tie the game at one apiece.
Ty Hutto (2-1, ERA 4.88) got the start on the mound for the Rivets pitching five innings striking out five batters and walking five. Hutto gave up three runs on five hits.
Leading off the bottom of the second, Matt Mebane worked a seven-pitch walk and then advanced to third on a 6-3 ground out. In the next at-bat, Mebane scored when Aaron Harper hit a single to right field to put the Rivets up 2-1.
In the top of the third inning, the Chinooks’ Adam Cootway scored Mason Neville on a sacrifice fly to even the score at two.
The Chinooks took their first lead of the game in the top of the fifth inning when Joey Spence hit a home run to right field. After Spence took the lead for Lakeshore, Avery Owusu-Asiedu reached base on an error but was then caught stealing later to end the inning.
The Rivets took the lead right back from the Chinooks in the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back home runs. The first homer was thanks to a two run home run to right field by Khalil Walker for his second homer of the season. The second home run came from Allen for his second home run of the game earning him player of the night.
In the top of the eighth inning, the Chinooks scored two runs on 4-6 fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to tie the game at six.
Jacob Davis (3-0, ERA 3.31) came in to pitch mid way through the eighth inning for the Rivets. Davis pitched one inning earning the save while giving up no runs on no hits.
With the game tied at six the Rivets brought in one run to take the 7-6 lead in the bottom of the eighth on a Walker sacrifice fly bringing home Jack Scheri and sending the crowd into a roar.
Cameron Nohos came in for the bottom of the ninth to shut down the side and secure the win for the Rivets.
