By: Niall Rosenberg
ROCKFORD, Ill. — A former friend becomes the king foe.
The Rockford Rivets (2-1) faced off against the Kenosha Kingfish (1-2) in game two of the day after completing a continuation from June 26. The Kingfish shortstop and former Rockford Rivet Jack Zebig had two home runs in today’s affair. He spearheaded the relentless offense, with the Kingfish winning 13-4.
Both teams started out scoreless through the first three innings.
The Rivets threatened in the bottom of the second. Tate Shimao (Hawaii) hit a leadoff single, followed by a double by Gavin Taylor (Nevada Las Vegas), putting two runners in scoring position with no outs. The Rivets’ next three batters up all went down with no runs coming across.
The Kingfish started the scoring in the fourth inning. A single to left with an error scored the first run of the ballgame.
Back-to-back singles scored another, and a steal of home on a throw down to second put three runs on the board for Kenosha, to end their half of the fourth.
The Rivets responded right back with two of their own in the fourth. With two outs, Rockford loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. Collin Taylor (Los Angeles Valley) came up and smacked a two-RBI single to left. The Rivets cut the deficit to one to end the fourth.
“The bat breaker was we left the bases loaded twice,” Head Coach Chase Brewster. “Left runners on a bunch that you forget about now. When you look at the scoreboard, it didn’t really feel like a 13-4 game for a long time.”
The Kingfish showed some muscle with a solo home run from Zebig to start the fifth. The Rivets came right back with one of their own in the bottom half of the fifth.
Back-to-back walks from Shimao and Gavin Taylor brought up Tommy Townsend (Xavier). Townsend hit a groundball single down the right field line that was misplayed by Kenosha, causing Shimao to come across home and keep the Rivets within one.
Reece Tarini (Louisiana Tech) got the start today for Rockford. Tarini has been one of the best pitchers this season for the Rivets. He cruised through the first three innings, but struggled in the following two.
In his five innings of work, he gave up four runs, with three of them earned. The Sophomore gave up six hits and four walks to his four strikeouts. His final game in Rockford is one he would want to have back.
“Reece has been our guy all summer,” Brewster said. “He was awesome, and I hate that he went out in this kind of way. You can tell his innings are starting to get up and he’s a little fatigued, but he was awesome and gave us a chance.”
Kenosha put up a huge fifth inning with four runs. Hunter Bell (Alcorn State) came in relief of Tarini and retired the first two batters with no problem. The Kingifish hitting with two outs is where Bell struggled.
Back-to-back walks put two runners on and led to a two-RBI single. Zebig came back up to the plate and smashed a two-run no-doubter to right field for his second home run in back-to-back at-bats. Rockford trailed five following the inning.
The Kingfish added another run in the seventh thanks to some great baserunning. They took a demanding 9-3 lead to end the top half of the inning.
Rockford matched Kenosha’s baserunning with some of their own. With bases loaded and two outs, a wild pitch allowed Shimao to take home. The Rivets still trailed five at the end of the inning.
The third home run of the night belongs to the Kingfish. Hogan Denny launched one to the opposite field. The two-out hitting for Kenosha is what separated them in today’s game.
Kenosha added salt to the wound in the ninth. They added three more runs from an RBI single, an RBI groundout and a wild pitch. The Rivets trailed nine going into the last half inning.
The Rivets didn’t get much going in their final chance at the plate. They fall for the first time in the second half with a final score of 13-4.
“One two or three bad innings don’t change the fact we played really well today,” Brewster said. “We punted a few innings, unfortunately, and wish we had a couple of innings back.”
The bullpen struggled in tonight’s affair. Through Bell and Aiden Adams (Montreat) four combined innings, they gave up nine runs on six hits. They combined for six walks and two strikeouts.
The Peak Sports Club Player of the Game for the Rivets today is Gavin Taylor. He went 2-3 with a double, a single, a walk and a run scored. The former Kingfish had a strong outing for his first time in front of the Rockford crowd.
“It’s nice to get the first hit out of the way, just got to keep it going the rest of the summer,” Taylor said. “I’m thinking see ball hit ball and then just letting it happen.”
The Rivets will be home for two more games against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks before going on the road for five games.
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.