By: Emily Tuttle

ROCKFORD, Ill. — In their climb from behind toward the playoff race, the Rockford Rivets (15-13) hosted the Kenosha Kingfish (14-16) for a Sock Monkey Sunday special. Keith Eusebio’s (Paradise Valley CC) productive night with four RBIs and a two-run homer helped the Rivets gain the 6-4 victory. 

The Rivets, with the help of Connor Kave (Iona University) and the top of the lineup, started off the game with a three-run first. Kave led off with a standup triple deep to right field. Bryce Nevils (McNeese State University) followed with an RBI single to bring home Kave. 

Joey Appino (Carroll University) then got in on the fun with a single of his own, and Eusebio’s RBI single scored Nevils before Eusebio was out trying to get to second. Alex Tabbert (University of Illinois Chicago) added an RBI groundout to bring Appino across the dish. 

Brady Louck (Xavier University) started on the mound for the Rivets tonight, going four innings. He allowed only one base runner in the first but gave up two singles in the second. Things compounded in the third as four Kingfish batters reached. The two doubles and two singles added two runs for the Fish before Louck assisted on a shifty 3-1 putout to end the inning. 

The top of the lineup delivered again in the bottom of the third. Kave and Nevils both singled, making them both 2-for-2. Eusebio added another RBI single to tack on a fourth.

Louck finished his final inning in the fourth, retiring the side. 

And in the fifth, Jeremy Allen (Kansas University) replaced Louck, facing four batters and striking out the side. Allen finished his night after three innings, striking out four and allowing only one earned run.

However, the Kingfish continued their battle back.

In the seventh, the Fish strung together a couple more singles and brought a runner home to make the game 4-3. Allen exited, and submarine pitcher Jake Gibson took over on the mound in the eighth. Gibson never found his control and only faced five batters. He allowed one earned run that tied the game. 

The Rivets pitching staff did not allow many walks this afternoon, with only four. The Kingfish hits were plentiful and timely, though; they strung 12 hits together as they stranded only a few runners on the night. 

Eusebio was stellar in the matchup, producing large hits. Game tied in the eighth, Eusebio was down 0-2 in the count, and he sent a two-run homer to right field to take the lead. 

Eusebio has hits in 10 of his last 12 games, and he was no different tonight, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. 

“He’s a phenomenal ball player and just great to have on our team,” Rivets manager Bob Koopmann said. 

George Gouriotis (Lewis University) tossed 1.1 innings, getting the Rivets out of a jam in the eighth, then putting the final nail in the Fish’s coffin in the ninth.

Eusebio and Gouriotis helped their team become three games back on the Royal Oak Leprechauns in the playoff run, as they look to continue playing productive baseball as the end of the season nears. They will take a short trip to Richmond to take on the Richmond Flying Mummies on Monday at 5:35 pm CT.