By: Kyle Tausk
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The Great Lakes East’s most dominant team remained as dominant as ever in their final meeting with the Rivets.
The Rivets (12-21) surrendered a pair of big early innings and were handled by the first place Pit Spitters (25-8) to close the season series, 9-3. After an intense, down-to-the-wire finish to the series opener on Monday, the series finale was largely undramatic with the home Pit Spitters jumping out to a sizable lead and shutting down the Rivets the rest of the way to secure their 21st win in their last 23 games.
Both teams had some traffic on the basepaths in the second inning but were unable to cash in and open the scoring. The Rivets put two on with just one out before striking out twice in a row, while Rivets starter Tate Smith (Northern Colorado) had to work extremely hard to escape a bases loaded jam, ultimately freezing a Traverse City hitter for strike three to end the threat.
The scoring didn’t begin until the third, when the Pit Spitters put together a big inning without needing a single hit. A hit by pitch and two walks loaded the bases before some chaos ensued, ultimately plating four runs. A fielder’s choice started it off, followed by a controversial overturn of a close call at first base that allowed two more to come around and a wild pitch that topped it all off.
The Rivets were able to answer back with one run in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Joey Appino (Carroll) and Gavin Taylor (UNLV), but it didn’t take long for the Pit Spitters to re-assert their dominance with a devastating five-run fourth, once again jumpstarted by some wildness on the mound and finished off by a trio of clutch hits off Rivets pitchers Ty Horkan (Keiser) and Liam Howard (Webber International).
Outside of their one run, the Rivets’ lineup had familiar results against a very familiar face in Pit Spitters starter Max Hammond who the Rivets have seen seven different times this season — by far the most of any opposing starting pitcher. The lefty tossed five one-run innings with seven strikeouts, finishing off a mostly dominant run against Rockford in 2025.
His departure didn’t prove beneficial for the Rivets for a while, though, as 13 consecutive Rivets hitters were sat down before finally coming alive in the eighth with a pair of runs. Tate Shimao (Hawaii) drove in a run on an RBI double and Cooper Hinson (Marshall) followed with a sacrifice fly to chip into the deficit.
But it was too little too late for the Rivets who ultimately were swept by their division foes to conclude the season series between the two teams. It’s Rockford’s fourth consecutive loss coming off a promising stretch of play last week.
Up next for the Rivets — their final homestand of the season gets underway against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks on Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets to Rivets games all season long at www.rockfordrivets.com.
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The Rockford Rivets are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, 360 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.rockfordrivets.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rivets as your favorite team.