By: Kyle Tausk
Battle Creek, Mich. — A dominant pitching performance carried the Rivets to a road victory in Battle Creek.
Despite a mostly quiet night at the plate, the Rivets (11-17) still found a way to snap their seven-game road losing streak, riding the back of some outstanding pitching by a trio of arms to beat the Battle Jacks (10-18), 3-1. The Rivets jumped out to a lead in the first inning and never gave the lead up, surrendering just one run to continue their positive momentum entering the stretch run of the Northwoods League’s season.
The Rivets got off to a quick start in the top of the first thanks to back-to-back two-out hits, plating the first run of the game. Tate Shimao (Hawaii) ripped a two-out double, setting up Gavin Taylor (UNLV) for an RBI single to put the Rivets in front to begin the game.
But the Rivets were led by the dominance of their pitching in this game, starting with Jake Storey (Northern Colorado). Storey took the mound after the run in the first frame and was immediately dialed in, making quick work of the Battle Jack lineup across six stellar innings, striking out seven along the way and walking none.
The Rivets turned quiet offensively after their opening inning score, going down 10 times in a row before finally putting another baserunner on in the fifth via a leadoff single by Collin Taylor (Los Angeles Valley CC). That kickstarted an important inning for the Rivets’ lineup, who tacked on a pair of runs to their lead.
After the Taylor single, Lance Mittelman (St. Peter’s) reached on an error — one that advanced Taylor to third — putting two on for Ny’zaiah Thompson (Modesto). Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to score a second run before Cooper Hinson (Marshall) drove in a third with an RBI single.
Outside of that fifth inning rally, the Rivets couldn’t come away with much at the plate off Battle Jacks starter Jared Hughes, who went all nine innings and allowed just five hits. Fortunately for the Rivets though, three runs were all they needed.
The Battle Jacks got their only run of the night in the sixth off Storey on an unfortunate defensive miscue. After allowing a pair of hits, an errant throw to the plate allowed the Battle Jacks’ baserunner to cross and bring some momentum to the home dugout for the first time all night.
But that momentum was quickly squashed by a pair of Rivet bullpen arms — Drew Girtz (Bethel) and Will Paxton (St. Peter’s) — who combined to shut the door on the victory for three shutout innings. Girtz worked around a little traffic, inducing a huge double play to strand two runners on in the eighth before Paxton picked up his first save of the season in the ninth, stranding a two-out walk to do so.
The win is a welcome sight for the Rivets to begin a road series in Battle Creek after their previous seven-game road trip ended winless. The Rivets have had their fair share of struggles away from home in 2025, but Thursday’s win is a positive sign entering the final week and change of the season, also marking Rockford’s third win in their last four games.
The Rivets and Battle Jacks will conclude their two-game series on Friday at 5:35 p.m. before the Rivets return home for a pair of games against the Kalamazoo Growlers.
Fans can purchase tickets to 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.