By: Niall Rosenberg
Traverse City, Mich. — The Rockford Rivets got a taste of their own medicine Friday afternoon, and it tastes an awful lot like cherries.
After blowing out the Traverse City Pit Spitters (5-7) last night, the Rivets (6-5) fell to them 9-2 today. An explosive fifth inning for Traverse City plated six runs and set them up to beat the Rivets. The Rivets’ bats were held mostly quiet throughout today’s matchup.
After waiting until the fifth inning last night to see a run, it was in the opening frame where the first two runs were scored. Traverse City began the scoring in the first due to an unearned run scored by the Pit Spitters’ Aaron Piasecki. They added another in the inning.
The Pit Spitters continued to add on to their lead in the second as another unearned run came across the plate.
Both teams remained silent until the fifth, when the Pit Spitters broke the game wide open. A wild pitch scored the first run of the inning. In the same at-bat, a single to center field scored another. Later on in the inning, a sacrifice fly to left scored the third run of the inning.
Traverse City didn’t stop there. A two-run double followed by an RBI single grew the Pit Spitters’ lead to nine runs, and the Rivets trailed big.
After an incredible debut start last night from Kaysen Raineri (Hawaii), it was Cole Edwards (Ecclesia) getting his chance at a debut start. Edwards was solid, only giving up two unearned runs until the fifth inning came along. He struggled against the Pit Spitters’ bats and ended up with 4.1 IP, seven hits, eight runs, with five of them being earned.
The first Rivets run of the day came in the top of the sixth. Ny’zaiah Thompson (Modesto) walked to lead off the inning. He used his speed to steal second while Jackson Forbes (Arizona) came up to the plate. The shortstop lined a ball to center for a triple, and the Rivets finally got on the board.
Adison Worthman (Parkland) roped a double to center field in the seventh. He continued to steal third and finished out the inning by stealing home after a passed ball. The Rivets cut the deficit to seven runs.
The runs scored in the latter half of the innings were too few, too late. The Rivets were held scoreless for the rest of the game and fell to the Pit Spitters 2-9. A stark contrast to the 11-2 win they gained in yesterday’s contest.
The bullpen remained strong today for the Rivets. Gus Allred (Northern Colorado) took over for Edwards and gave up one earned run in his 0.2 innings of work. He stranded multiple base runners to end the fifth.
Porter Conn (Kansas) took over from there. The redshirt junior entered the ball game in the sixth and held it down for the Rivets. In his three innings of work, Conn gave up two hits, struck out three and gave up no runs. He has lowered his ERA to 1.69 on the season.
On the offensive side, Forbes, Worthman and Ean Czech (Wabash Valley) all had extra base hits, but overall, it was another tough day at the office for the Rivets.
Rockford will continue their road trip with two games in Royal Oak versus the Leprechauns, followed by one in Madison to take on the Mallards, before returning home to take on the Mallards once again.
Fans can purchase tickets for Rivets games all season long at www.rockfordrivets.com.
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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. Now in its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 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, 360 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. 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.