
By: Niall Rosenberg
Battle Creek, Mich. — A straight pitchers’ duel in regulation led to a late Rivets surge in extras to win it in Battle Creek.
The Rivets (10-6) headed up to Battle Creek, Michigan, to face off against the Battle Jacks (8-9) after the one-game homestand that resulted in a win over the Madison Mallards. The game was tight, with both teams unable to score on one another. Both pitching staffs held it down. It wasn’t until extra innings that the Rivets found their bats and secured a tough ball game, 5-1.
The Rivets’ first chance at offense came in the second inning. Jack Scheri (Wabash Valley) reached on a hit by pitch with two outs. Cal Jones (Henderson State) singled to left and advanced Scheri to second with Kolby Felix (Colorado Mesa) up to bat. Felix walked, loading up the bases for Zeb Allen (Central Arkansas). Allen was unable to score any runners home, and the game remained scoreless.
Kaysen Raineri (Hawaii) got the start on the bump for the Rivets. He is coming off an amazing start, one week ago against the Pit Spitters. He went seven innings, giving up no earned runs on two hits. He also struck out five batters to end the game. Today, he continued his dominance.
The Battle Jacks threatened in the bottom of the second. A double and a two-out walk put runners on the corners. Raineri continued to pitch well and got the fly ball to left to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
The Rivets struggled to hit against the Battle Jacks’ starter, Jack Messmore. Messmore, in his 3.2 IP, struck out seven Rivets batters as both teams continued to struggle throughout this game.
Both teams remained scoreless through seven innings. They shared three hits apiece at this time. The pitchers’ duel was on, and both teams looked to not give up any control on the mound.
Raineri’s day ended following the seventh. The Freshman had a stellar day, finishing with seven innings pitched, no earned runs on three hits, and seven strikeouts to two walks. The right-hander has gone 14 IP with no runs given up so far this summer. Raineri’s also given up just seven base runners through those 14 innings.
Reece Tarini (Louisiana Tech) took over for Raineri in the eighth. Tarini continued Raineri’s fantastic start with two great innings of work. Tarini gave up just one hit and struck out two to get the game to extra innings.
The top of the 10th saw Ny’zaiah Thompson (Modesto) start at second with Jones at the plate. He laid down a bunt to advance Thompson and bring up Felix. Felix laid down a bunt himself and just like that, after nine innings of scoreless baseball, the Rivets took the lead in extra innings.
Battle Creek fought back in the 10th. An RBI-double tied the game at one and kept the runner on second with no outs. Ben Catrambone (Limestone) started extra innings for the Rivets. The senior was able to fight through two-on with no outs to keep the game scoreless. A fantastic double play from WT Jones (Seminole State (OK)) helped his pitcher get out of the inning.
The eleventh inning for the Rivets started out with great baserunning from Allen. His attempt to steal third caused an error that allowed him to score, giving the Rivets the lead.
A walk from Ty Waid (McLennan), a walk from WT Jones and a Jackson Forbes (Arizona) single loaded the bases for AJ Malzone (Florida). Malzone hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Waid and giving the Rivets a 3-1 lead.
In the same inning, Thompson walked, loading up the bases once again, this time for Cal Jones. Jones hit a single into right field, scoring two more runs. Just like that, the Rivets were up four in extra innings.
Cole Edwards (Ecclesia) came in the bottom of the 11th to pitch for the Rivets. He shut down the Battle Jacks’ bats and secured the win for Rockford. The Rivets win their second straight game.
While the Rivets’ bats were quiet tonight, it was the pitching staff that locked down the win today. Raineri, Tarini, Catrambone and finally Edwards were outstanding in the Black and Gold.
The Rivets have one more game away against the Battle Jacks. The Rivets will be home on June 14 to take on the Royal Oak Leprechauns.
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.