By: Kyle Tausk
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The road struggles continued for the Rivets even after an unexpected day off.
In the first game of a doubleheader created by Thursday’s rainout, the Rivets (8-15) were crushed by the Growlers (13-9), 10-1, to bring their losing streak to six. An unfortunate third inning opened the floodgates for a dominant Kalamazoo display and the Rivets couldn’t dig themselves out of the giant hole.
Both teams struggled to even put the ball in play early in a quiet first two innings offensively. Both starting pitchers struck on the side in the second, tossing up a pair of zeros to begin the long day of baseball.
In the third, Rivets starter Jake Storey (Northern Colorado) ran into some terrible luck, sparing a big inning for the Growlers to get the scoring started. After loading the bases with nobody out, the Growlers were able to plate four runs in the inning without a ball leaving the infield thanks to a wild pitch and some sloppy defense by the Rivets — misplaying a pair of potential double play balls on the ground.
The Rivets were able to respond in the top of the fourth by getting on the board themselves. Cooper Hinson (Marshall) ripped a one-out double and was soon brought home by a Tommy Townsend (Xavier) RBI single, continuing a red hot second half of the season for Rockford’s first baseman.
But that’s as close as the game would be the rest of the way. The Growlers got the run right back in the bottom of the fourth off Kaleb Dooley (Texas A&M-Texarkana) when the Rivets airmailed a throw to second in an attempt to catch a runner stealing. Then, with two runners on base and one out, Growlers designated hitter Gabe Springer crushed a ball into the right field stands to break the game wide open — a devastating three-run home run. Kalamazoo would add a ninth run before the nightmare frame came to a close.
The Rivets couldn’t string together much of a threat afterwards. Ny’zaiah Thompson (Modesto) singled in the fifth and Townsend added another hit in the sixth, but the Rivets otherwise went down quietly. The Growlers picked up their tenth run on a home run by pinch hitter JD Crisp before closing out the victory.
The Rivets will have one final chance to pick up a win on their seven-game road trip in about 30 minutes when the two teams do battle again in game two of the doubleheader.
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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.