By: Christopher Rodriguez
The Rockford Rivets (3-4) kicked off a two-game series in their first Sunday matchup of the season against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks (4-4), having lost two straight games where they were outscored 6-15.
On the 20th Anniversary of Rivets Stadium being built, the offense exploded for Rockford, defeating the Battle Jacks 11-6, totaling 12 hits and eight walks in the win.
Right-handed pitcher Matthew Steinberg (Manhattan College) limited the Battle Jacks, allowing four runs on four hits, with six strikeouts. Steinberg is the first Rivets pitcher this season to throw over 100 pitches in a game.
“Well, I would’ve let him go longer,” manager Bob Koopmann said. “I’m not a big pitch count guy, but unfortunately they’ve got rules here.”
Jackson Forbes (University of Arizona) came into the matchup with no hits in his last 11 at-bats, but kicked off the bottom of the first with a leadoff double into the left field corner. Forbes advanced to third base after a groundout, where Colin McCormick (Bradley University) was then hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners.
Caleb Rhodes (Olive-Harvey College) reached on base due to an E6, bringing Forbes home and advancing McCormick to second. Davis Collie (John A. Logan CC) kept the train going, with an RBI base hit to bring in McCormick and put runners on the corners once again. A wild pitch the next at-bat was enough to bring Rhodes home, and Jack Scheri (Stony Brook University) capped off the inning with an RBI double to bring his on-base streak to six and put the Rivets up 4-0.
“Man, is it contagious,” Koopmann said. “Jackson gets that hit to start off the game and everyone right after that. They came in with the best pitching staff, albeit only in six games so far, but you don’t know what we’re going to expect out here with the pitches. Jumping on them like that, that was really the key.”
The Rivets offense continued to pile on in the second inning, starting off with a leadoff triple by Keith Eusebio (Paradise Valley CC) for his second hit of the season. Forbes followed his next at-bat with an RBI single, then stealing second, where he now totals six this year. Following a walk for Zan Von Schlegell (University of Saint Thomas), McCormick fell into a double play that was still enough to bring Forbes home from second, from some excellent base running, to make it 6-0.
Battle Creek looked to respond in the top of the third, with a leadoff base hit and a walk in the first two at-bats. Following a strikeout, a base hit loaded the bases for the Battle Jacks. Steinberg was able to pop out the next two batters, getting out of the inning without allowing a run.
In the bottom of the third, Bryce Nevils (John A. Logan CC) joined the hitting party with the third straight inning with a leadoff hit, shortly after stealing second base. Nevils, a few pitches later, took off for third, where a bad throw sent him home and made it 7-0 Rockford.
The fourth inning was more of the same for the Rockford offense, with McCormick drawing a walk and Rhodes hitting a double to extend his hitting streak to five games. Nevils caused more damage, bringing both runners in on a two-run single down the left field line, extending it to 9-0.
The Battle Jacks found life in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs, which included a two-run double to cut the deficit to just five. Steinberg was able to get through the inning, ending his performance with 103 pitches through five innings.
Rockford wasn’t done in the bottom of the fifth, with Eusebio sending a deep shot into left field for his first home run of the season. Eusebio, who regularly plays pitcher, has now played two games in the lineup for the Rivets.
“It feels pretty cool,” Eusebio said. “It’s my second game out here, our team did everything perfectly, and it was a really fun game.”
Forbes hit a single in his fourth hitting appearance of the game, building on an impressive night that ended with three hits, three runs scored, and an RBI. Forbes made his way from first to third on a series of wild pitches, with the final wild pitch bringing him to home plate to make it 11-4. The Rivets scored at least one run through the first five innings.
The Battle Jacks remained scoreless until the final inning, where they made things interesting, scoring off an error and an RBI single to make the deficit just five again. The effort wasn’t enough, however, as right-handed pitcher Jack Kerpan ended the game and gave the Rivets their third win of the season.
The Rivets and Battle Jacks will battle once more in the series finale, Monday at 6:35 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets to Rivets games all season long at www.rockfordrivets.com.