By: Niall Rosenberg
ROCKFORD, Ill. — In a strange turn of events, today’s game will not be completed when it was started.
Lighting issues within Rivets Stadium deemed the playing field unsafe for both sides. With six innings completed by both the Rivets (13-15) and the Kingfish (14-17) this game will be continued with a short double header on July 2.
Here’s what happened tonight through six innings:
After a scoreless first three innings of baseball last night, the Kingfish got out to a hot start today. Kenosha scored at the top of the first off smart baserunning, after a throw down to second allowed the runner on third to take home.
The Rivets themselves got out to a hot start, loading up the bases with their first three batters. Collin Mowry (Louisville) came up to the plate and hit a sacrifice fly to left field to tie the game at one.
The Rivets struck once again in the bottom of the second. A hit by pitch from Conner Cunningham (Murray State) and a single from Jack Scheri (Wabash Valley) put two runners on for Harrison Bowman (Troy). Bowman roped his second double in two at-bats to right field, scoring Cunningham and putting Scheri on third.
Tate Shimao (Hawaii) followed Bowman with an RBI groundout to the second baseman, scoring Scheri. The Rivets took a 3-1 lead following the second inning.
The Kingfish one-upped the Rivets’ second inning with three of their own. A leadoff home run coming from their cleanup hitter cut the deficit in half. Kenosha wasn’t done there. Back-to-back two-out RBI singles gave Kenosha the lead.
Aiden Adams (Montreat) got the start on the bump for Brewster. The Southpaw struggled with giving up runs so far this season, with 13 earned runs given up in 4.2 innings pitched before today’s affair. The junior gave up four earned runs in four innings tonight. Control problems led to seven walks and 109 pitches against the patient Kingfish batters.
Fortunately for Rockford, the bats were there to make up for the pitching struggles. Scheri lined an RBI single to center in the fourth to score Tommy Townsend (Xavier). Shimao gave the Rivets the lead with a sacrifice fly to center.
Danny Cercello (Houston) took over for Adams in the fifth inning. Cercello, like Adams, has struggled so far this season. The righty has given up 14 earned runs in 7.1 innings pitched this season. But tonight, he had a strong outing before being halted by the lights. He threw two scoreless innings with one hit, along with two strikeouts. A strong showing of potentially more to come from Cercello.
The bottom of the sixth was the last inning played at Rivets Stadium tonight. The issues with lighting in the stadium made it unsafe for play to continue. With that, the Rivets and the Kingfish will continue the last three innings on July 2, following the end of game one versus Kenosha.
The Rivets will be on the road for two games before returning to Rivets Stadium 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.