Traverse City, MI – In the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, Jacob Marcus completed the first no-hitter in Traverse City history as the Pit Spitters rolled over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 6-0.
Marcus (1-3, 2.00) completed his historic night on 91 pitches, throwing 60 for strikes. Marcus tied a season-high with six strikeouts and set a season-high with seven innings pitched. He allowed just two baserunners on a hit by pitch and walk. His defense backed him up with zero errors, even saving the no-no a few times.
After Marcus’ first runner reached with two outs in the third, Adam Proctor caught him stealing to end the inning. The biggest defensive play came when Miles Simington charged in and made a sliding catch on a sinking fly ball behind first base. The catch set up a strikeout to the next batter to finish off the historic game.
The no-hitter is just the 25th in Northwoods League history and the first since July 5, 2019.
Game One
The Pit Spitters dropped game one 9-2. The Rafters scored one run in the first, three in the second, two in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Traverse City was outscored 27-4 between this game and the finale against Kalamazoo.
Chris Monroe had one of the three Pit Spitter hits to improve his hit streak to 10 games. Michael Stygles singled as well to increase his hit streak to four. Both players had an RBI on their hit.
Wyatt Rush (4-1, 2.92) had his worst outing of the season in the loss. The righty went 4 2/3, giving up 9 hits, 6 runs and 3 walks. Entering the game, Rush pitched 20 total innings with 7 hits, 3 runs and 2 walks. His ERA increased 1.57 points in the loss.
Game Two
The offense found its stride in the second game. The Pit Spitters loaded the bases in the second with nobody out but failed to convert. They wouldn’t waste their next opportunity. In the fourth, Stygles singled and Trey Yunger doubled, giving them hits in each game of the series. Christian Faust singled both runners home for the early 2-0 lead.
The next inning, Zeb Roos and Miles Simington singled to lead off, and Roos came in to score on a stolen base and a throwing error. After Tito Flores walked, Chris Monroe singled home Simington to make it 5-0. Monroe would add another RBI single in the sixth.
Monroe and Yunger both finished the game 3-4. Stygles finished 2-3, giving Traverse City three players with multiple hits. 8 of the 9 starters reached base in the game.
Monroe increased his hit streak to 11 games and has multiple hits in four of his last five games, bringing his batting average to a team-high .333. He also had three RBI’s across the two games, moving him into a tie for fourth place in the Northwoods League (29).
Up Next
Traverse City closes out the road trip against Fond du Lac. First pitch on Thursday is at 7:35 ET. Pat Hohlfeld (4-0, 3.00) is the expected starter. The team returns to Turtle Creek on Saturday. For tickets for all 2021 home games, call 231-943-0100 or visit www.pitspitters.com.
The Traverse City Pit Spitters 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. Having completed its’ 27th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 250 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 (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.PitSpitters.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Pit Spitters as your favorite team.
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