By: Emily Tuttle

ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Rockford Rivets (11-19) took the win over the Lakeshore Chinooks (13-14) in a throlling 3-2 fashion, walking off the game in the ninth. Jackson Forbes (University of San Diego) did it again. 

The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, and Connor Kave (Harper CC) stepped up to the plate, continuing his electric night with a speedy bunt single. He advanced to second on a groundout, and Forbes stepped up to the plate. 

One man on. One out. Forbes at the dish. On a 1-2 count, he hits a line drive to right field. There was no one else better to be rounding third than the speedy Kave, who slid home to seal the game. 

The dugout ran onto the field to celebrate a hard-fought victory. 

“It’s fun beating them,” Rivets manager Bob Koopmann said. “I can tell you that.”

But from the get-go, it was left-handed pitcher Davis Webb who got three strikeouts in his first inning, a promising start. It was his second appearance with the team, and his longest at five innings. Webb went to his fastball continually in the first, gaining quick command. 

He finished the night with four strikeouts and two earned runs. He struggled with walking batters later on in his outing, giving six the free stroll to first. 

The Rivets’ offense got started with a leadoff hit by Forbes, but he was ultimately stranded. 

The Screws struck first in the second, though with another leadoff single—this time it was Davis Collie (John A. Logan CC). He eventually rounded the bases to score when Kave singled, but was out on a 9-2-6 putout. 

Kave has been on fire recently, going 7-for-12 in his last five games entering game two against the Chinooks. He is averaging .344 this season in 22 games played. He continued that momentum, going 3-for-4 as the 8-hole hitter, including the bunt single that allowed him to reach base before scoring the go-ahead run.  

“What a ball player,” Koopmann said. “It all starts with his speed.”

But the Chinooks wouldn’t back down so early. They scored on a sac fly in the third to match the score at one. But similar to the game one matchup, when one team struck, the other struck back. 

The Rivets added their second run in the fourth. Collie advanced on a fielder’s choice, then once again it was Kave who belted an RBI single to bring Collie home—for the second time tonight. 

The Chinooks did some work themselves in the fifth, though with a run of their own off another sac fly. In innings two through five, the scoreboard looked like a zig-zag, with ones going up and down every inning to paint the picture of the back-and-forth game. 

Five arms ended up on the mound for the Rivs, with Ammon Shaul and Jimmy Amptmann both going just one inning and combining for one strikeout and three walks. Koopmann talked about how he is “gearing everything toward” his bullpen in the second half of the season and that he is very excited for it. 

But the relievers did their job of putting up zeros on the board through the final four innings. Rivets superstar pitcher Ben Buehring (UW- OshKosh) stepped onto the mound to command the game. He finished the last out of the eighth before completely shutting out any chance the Chinooks had in the ninth. He had three strikeouts in his 1.1 innings. 

“I find him more remarkable than anyone around the team,” Koopmann said. “He didn’t start pitching until December at his school.”

Now Buehring stands with 33 strikeouts on the year as a relief pitcher. His outing was stellar, the perfect pairing to the Rivets’ offense. 

Then, in the ninth, the damage was done by Kave and Forbes. This was Forbes’ second walkoff hit of the season, and he looks to keep his team fired up for an upcoming trip to Minnesota to take on the Rochester Honkers Wednesday at 6:35 pm.