By: Niall Rosenberg
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Heartbreak ending at the finish line for the Rivets.
After being down 6-4 heading into the top of the ninth, the Rivets (12-20) loaded the bases with no outs. Tragedy struck as they were only able to score one run. Traverse City (24-8) continues its first-place second half with a win over Rockford. The Rivets’ bats started out hot but faltered when it mattered most.
After no runs were scored until the fourth inning yesterday against the Growlers, the Rivets opened the scoring in the top of the second. Gavin Taylor (Nevada Las Vegas) led off the inning with a walk, and his brother Collin Taylor (Los Angeles Valley) hit an RBI double to score Gavin and give Rockford the lead.
The Rivets didn’t stop there. John Uchytil (Sonoma State) hit home Taylor with an RBI single, and Ny’zaiah Thompson (Modesto) matched Uchytil with an RBI single of his own. Rockford went up three after two innings.
Lance Mittelman (St. Peter’s) started on the mound for the Rivets. He’s been used primarily as a bullpen arm, but he began his start with three solid scoreless innings. The fourth is where he began to see some struggles.
The Pit Spitters led off the fourth with a single. An RBI double to center field scored the first run of the game for Traverse City. Later in the inning, an RBI single brought the Rockford lead to one run.
Rockford’s bats didn’t stop after the second. After putting up three runs yesterday, they added their fourth run in the fifth inning. Sean Sweeney (Binghamton), in his first appearance for the Rivets, hit a sacrifice groundout to score Joey Appino (Carroll).
Traverse City continued to fight back against the Rivets in the fifth inning. A leadoff single was later brought home with an RBI single to get the game back to within one run.
The bottom of the sixth was Mittelman’s last inning. Another leadoff single was later brought home from a sacrifice flyout, tying the game at four apiece. Rockford’s bullpen was able to get out of the jam with just the one run given up.
A fine day for Mittelman, as he gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks. The right-hander experienced some troubles, but he held the first-place Pit Spitters enough for his offense to help him.
As it has been for every inning since the second, Traverse City got the leadoff man on board in the seventh inning. This time it was a leadoff triple. The runner on third scored from a sacrifice fly, and another run came across from an RBI single. The Pit Spitters took its first lead of the ballgame.
After not scoring since the fifth inning, it was the Rivets who came up clutch in the top of the ninth. Rockford loaded the bases with no outs to set up a Cooper Hinson (Marshall) RBI walk to make it a one-run game.
The Rivets’ bats then collapsed. With the bases loaded and no outs went the next three batters went without scoring another run. Rockford falls to Traverse City 6-5, for its second straight loss.
The Rivets are in the last week of the Northwoods League season with one more game versus the Traverse City Pit Spitters on the road before returning home to take on the Battle Jacks.
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.