By: Emily Tuttle

ROYAL OAK, Mich. — The Rockford Rivets (8-14) extended their losing streak to seven and have played 20 innings without scoring. They lost the series to the Royal Oak Leprechauns (12-10), falling 9–0 on a bleak day. This is the first time since August 2022 that the Rivets have seen back-to-back shutouts. 

In the first frame, the Rivets reached base, unlike their flat start in their past couple of games. Leadoff hitter River Lindsay (Bradley University) walked, and 2-hole Zan Von Schlegell (University of St. Thomas) hit an opposite-field single on the first pitch he saw. Five batters came to the plate in the first inning, their highest total in any inning. 

But both runners were stranded after a couple of strikeouts and a groundout. Though the Rivets found the gaps a couple of times early, they did not capitalize on the opportunities and left runners stranded. They had four hits for the fourth game in a row. 

Baris Brua (UW-OshKosh) had a strong outing, racking up eight strikeouts over five innings. In the bottom of the second, he walked a batter, then an error allowed the Leprechaun to reach second. Brua took over with three consecutive strikeouts. He allowed five earned runs, leaving a runner on third as Ammon Shaul (GateWay CC) entered in the sixth. 

But both Brua and Shaul’s efforts weren’t enough when the offense struggled to get going. Again, they were unable to reach base, with the Leprechauns’ pitching staff combining for 12 strikeouts. This ties their record for most strikeouts in a game, which was set last night. 

All but two Rivets struck out—Keith Eusebio (Paradise Valley CC) and Lindsay. 

Eusebio and Von Schlegell both had doubles, and Von Schlegell was the only batter to record more than one hit. 

Through the first three innings, the Rivets stranded runners each time. Then, in the following three innings, they went three up, three down. 

They were down 3-0 entering the sixth, when the Leprechauns broke the game open. The Leps sent seven batters to the plate, leading off with a double to set the tone. The next batter, Oliver Service, who has had plenty of success against the Rivets this season, belted a triple off the wall in center. By the time the inning was said and done, it was 7-0. 

Ammon Shaul entered in the sixth and tossed two innings with two walks, two punch outs and four earned runs. 

The Rivets have been stuck in a rut and hope to climb out of their seven-game losing streak when they return home on Wednesday. They’ll kick off a homestand against the Kalamazoo Growlers on Wednesday at 6:35 pm. Fans can purchase tickets all season long at rockfordrivets.com.