By: Emily Tuttle

ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Rockford Rivets (4-2) returned from the All-Star break against the Kenosha Kingfish (2-5), looking to bounce back from Friday’s matchup. Behind dominant starting pitching from both clubs, the contest remained scoreless through five innings before the Rivets earned a 4-3 extra-inning victory behind reliever Jimmy Amptmann (Davenport University).

Brady Louck (Arizona State University) matched Kenosha starter Jake Storey pitch for pitch. In his fourth outing with the Rivets, Louck quickly established command and continued his dominant stretch. He struck out the side in the first inning, and he tossed seven K’s in four innings. 

Louck was on a pitch count restriction, and he did not return for the fifth inning after throwing 57 pitches. In his innings, Louck did not allow a walk and gave one free pass on a hit by pitch. He and the defense contributed to two straight 1-2-3 innings after the third before Anthony Sorrentino (Roosevelt University) entered and added another. 

Storey was just as effective for Kenosha, who threw six innings, giving away one unearned run, two walks and five strikeouts. 

The Rivets got only four hits off Storey, the first coming off the bat of Rivets’ All-Star Bryce Nevils (John A. Logan CC). Davis Collie (John A. Logan CC) walked before Nevils, then Gavin Taylor (University of Nevada Las Vegas) was hit by a pitch to load the bases on two outs. Beau Bloxdorf (Madison College) battled back from down in the count and worked an 11-pitch at bat, but it ultimately ended in a strikeout. 

Nevils continued to get things going with a leadoff single in the sixth. He extended his streak with a hit in seven of his last eight games, producing both at the plate and on the bases. He stole second, then reached third on an error. That marked his tenth stolen base against the Kingfish this season and his 26th of the season.

He came across home plate when Coby Neville (Paradise Valley CC) singled, finally putting a run on the board after six innings.

While the Rivets may have struck first, the Fish struck hard. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Kenosha got their first base runner aboard since the second inning on a walk. Sorrentino did not allow any hits in the sixth, but runners continued to reach via free passes. Following the first walk, it was a wild pitch, an error, a hit by pitch and a four-pitch walk. The inning unraveled as runners reached without recording a hit. 

Sorrentino finished with one inning pitched with three runs, two walks and one strikeout. 

It was almost like deja vu in the eighth, though, when the Rivets loaded the bags off reliever Nick Heitman’s free passes. With the bases juiced, a wild pitch allowed Townsend and Connor Kave, who pinch ran for Davis Collie, to score. Scoring in the same fashion as the Fish in the sixth, the Rivets tied the ball game 3-3. 

 Amptmann entered on the mound in the bottom of the eighth, and he went six up six down through his first two innings. He helped to take the Rivets to extras. 

Nevils did it once again for the Screws, with an RBI groundout in the top of the tenth that scored ghost runner Alex Tabbert. The Rivets led 4-3 heading into the bottom of the frame. 

Amptmann finished what he started, with back-to-back strikeouts and stranded runners on the corners to win the Rivs the game.

After the series split with the Kingfish, the Rivets will take on the Royal Oak Leprechauns on Sunday at 3:35 pm CT.