By: Kyle Tausk
ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Rivets’ late comeback effort fell just short on Friday night.
The Traverse City Pit Spitters (14-11) took an early lead and despite a late push by the Rivets, never gave it up, completing a two-game series sweep over the Rivets (12-11) with an 8-7 victory. It concludes a frustrating homestand for Rockford who have now dropped three games in a row for the first time this season.
“I hate it for our guys,” head coach Chase Brewster said. “We wanted to go out and make yesterday’s loss right for our home crowd, and we just came up short there at the end.”
After the Rivets struck first in the first inning a night ago, the Pit Spitters returned the favor to begin the game in this one. Traverse City tagged Rivets starter Cole Edwards (Ecclesia) for two runs in his sole inning of work to jump out to an early 2-0 lead.
The Rivets cut the deficit in half in the third on an RBI groundout by Ny’zaiah Thompson (Modesto) but were otherwise held quiet for the first half of the night, mustering just two hits and three baserunners through the first five innings.
The Pit Spitters got the run right back by manufacturing a run on a sacrifice fly and added another on an RBI double by right fielder Aaron Piasecki in the fourth. Piasecki haunted the Rivets’ pitching staff all series, notching seven hits from the leadoff spot in the two-game set.
Things didn’t slow down for the Pit Spitters’ offense from there. They once again manufactured a fifth run on a groundout before an RBI single extended their lead to five in the fifth.
For a while, it appeared as if Pit Spitters starting pitcher Nic Mirabella was going to shut down the Rivets’ offense for the second time this season. The righty — who threw five innings of one-run ball on Opening Day at Rivets Stadium — had replicated that performance through his first five innings before finally starting to feel some fatigue in the sixth. The Rivets took full advantage to get themselves back in the game.
The Rivets loaded the bases with nobody out to begin the inning on a walk, hit by pitch and single. They were able to get two across without putting the ball in play thanks to a pair of wild pitches off the arm of Mirabella before Sam Flores (Kansas State) delivered an RBI single to draw Rockford within two.
That momentum was very short lived for the Rivets, however. The Pit Spitters got two of those runs back in the very next frame on some more aggressive baserunning and a pair of singles. Despite only three of their 21 hits in the series going for extra bases, the Pit Spitters were able to plate 21 combined runs across the two game series, beating Rockford with their bread and butter — stealing bases and manufacturing runs.
“We lost the game because every time we scored, we allowed Traverse City to score too,” Brewster said. “And that’s kind of what did it. Four of their eight runs scored on walks and hit by pitches, and that’s just not a good method if you’re trying to win ballgames.”
Things did get interesting in the late innings after the Rivets cut the deficit in half in the eighth, beginning with an RBI triple by Tate Shimao (Hawaii) who then scored on an RBI groundout by Jayce Blalock (Arkansas-Little Rock).
After Alexander Llinas (Nova Southeastern) worked a clean ninth on the mound, Tommy Townsend (Butler) led off the home half with a double. Cooper Cohn (Northern Illinois) drove him in with a two-out single to bring the Rivets within one, but the game ended when a line drive off the bat off Shimao found the glove of Traverse City shortstop Grady Mee.
The Rivets will look to get things back on track this weekend as they head on the road for a two game set in Battle Creek against the Battle Jacks. They’ll return home next week for a four-game homestand against Wisconsin Rapids and Kenosha.
“I don’t know that we have a choice but to believe,” Brewster said. “We all came together for one goal. We’re here to win and we’re going to do everything we can to win. We’ve worked really hard, and it just isn’t showing up right now.”
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.