By: Emily Tuttle<\/b><\/p>\n
ROYAL OAK, Mich. \u2014 The Rockford Rivets (8-14) extended their losing streak to seven and have played 20 innings without scoring. They lost the series to the Royal Oak Leprechauns (12-10), falling 9\u20130 on a bleak day. This is the first time since August 2022 that the Rivets have seen back-to-back shutouts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the first frame, the Rivets reached base, unlike their flat start in their past couple of games. Leadoff hitter River Lindsay (Bradley University) walked, and 2-hole Zan Von Schlegell (University of St. Thomas) hit an opposite-field single on the first pitch he saw. Five batters came to the plate in the first inning, their highest total in any inning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But both runners were stranded after a couple of strikeouts and a groundout. Though the Rivets found the gaps a couple of times early, they did not capitalize on the opportunities and left runners stranded. They had four hits for the fourth game in a row.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Baris Brua (UW-OshKosh) had a strong outing, racking up eight strikeouts over five innings. In the bottom of the second, he walked a batter, then an error allowed the Leprechaun to reach second. Brua took over with three consecutive strikeouts. He allowed five earned runs, leaving a runner on third as Ammon Shaul (GateWay CC) entered in the sixth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But both Brua and Shaul\u2019s efforts weren\u2019t enough when the offense struggled to get going. Again, they were unable to reach base, with the Leprechauns’ pitching staff combining for 12 strikeouts. This ties their record for most strikeouts in a game, which was set last night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n All but two Rivets struck out\u2014Keith Eusebio (Paradise Valley CC) and Lindsay.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n