Mequon, Wis. – It came down to the last play, but the Rockford Rivets (3-3) were on the wrong end of a 5-4 defeat to the Lakeshore Chinooks on Sunday night at Kapco Park. The game was tied at four with the Chinooks batting in the bottom of the ninth when Cole Turney hit a solo homer over the right field fence.
The Rivets were in firm control of the game heading into the bottom of the eighth inning with a 4-1 lead. Then, Chinooks’ batters Connor Kimple and Luke Mangeiri each drove in a run off Rivets’ reliever JT Baksha to get the Chinooks within one. The next Chinooks’ batter, Jake Thompson, tripled to right field and drove home Kimple to even the score and give Turney a shot to win it in the ninth.
“It was just a few hits here and there,” said Rivets’ manager Brian Smith, “They did a good job making adjustments against JT, who’s been excellent out of the bullpen for us.”
Rockford was hot early when a big second inning gave them a three-run lead. Tim Lilly, Brennan Reback, and Ryan Cole all singled home runs for the Rivets that inning. Brock Martin tacked on one more in the fourth to give Rockford their final run of the day.
After a four-game road trip that saw the Rivets go 1-3, Smith is excited for the boys to get back on their home turf.
“It’s always better to play at home,” Smith said, “the 1-3 road record, it happens, it’s early, we’re 3-3. As long as we’re treading, that’s where we really have to be until we get into a groove.”
The Rivets will be back at home on Monday, June 4th as they play host to the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (4-2) for the first game of a four-game home stand and a stretch of seven home games in eight days. First pitch on Monday is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. followed by Kids Day at Rivets Stadium on Tuesday with an 11 a.m. first pitch.
Tickets for the Rockford Rivets are available for purchase, including our 5-Game Pack which now costs only $60. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Rivets’ Ticket Office at (815) 240-4159.
The Rockford Rivets are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. 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.
