Spitters Stumped in Ninth
Traverse City, MI – The Traverse City Pit Spitters lose the series finale of the 131 Rivalry series against the Kalamazoo Growlers, 5-4 in front of 2,146 fans at Turtle Creek Stadium. The Pit Spitters drop to 38-28 on the season and 16-15 in the second half.
After a pitcher’s duel to start the game, the Growlers offense struck first in the top of the fourth as Will Furniss singled. Following a couple of walks from Kevin Krill and Evan Rodriguez to load the bases, Furniss came into score on a wild pitch thrown by Pit Spitters starting pitcher Maddux Hoagland to give the Growlers a 1-0 lead. Parker Brosius led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single to right field. Colin Summerhill then hit a single up the middle, scoring Brosius to tie the game at 1-1. Anthony Stephan drew a walk with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, where he quickly swiped second. Furniss drove in Stephan on a single to center, giving the Growlers a 2-1 lead. Colin Blanchard and Myles Beale drew back-to-back walks to get the offense going for the Growlers in the top of the sixth. On a fielder’s choice ground ball hit by Gavin Lewis Jr., Blanchard was tagged out between third base and home for out number two. Beale came into score on a wild pitch thrown by Easton Johnson to make it 3-1 Growlers. Stephan added on one more with his infield single, scoring Lewis Jr. to extend their lead to 4-1. Ethan Hyme singled to kick off the bottom of the eighth, and then Cooper Mills followed with a walk. Brosius legged out an infield single to load the bases up with one out. Summerhill hit a sacrifice flyout, scoring Hyme to cut into the Growlers lead 4-2. Cole Prout then cleared the bases with a single to left field scoring Mills and Brosius to tie the game at 4-4. Krill led off the top of the ninth with a walk, where he then advanced to second after a wild pitch thrown by Mitch Grannan. Blanchard single to right field scoring Krill to give the Growlers a 5-4 lead. The Growlers held onto the one run led to take the series finale, 5-4.
The Pit Spitters drop to 38-28 on the season and 16-15 in the second half, while the Growlers improve to 43-21 overall and 22-8 in the second half. The Pit Spitters starting pitcher Maddux Hoaglund threw four innings, giving up one run on three hits, walking two and striking out five. Holden Wilder threw an inning of relief, giving up a hit and a run on two walks. Easton Johnson threw two thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and four walks. Hayden Jactzak threw and inning and a third, striking out three while giving up a hit and two walks. Logan Mccleery threw an inning of scoreless relief, not giving up any hits. Mitch Grannan threw the final inning of the game, giving up two hits, and two walks along with one run.
The Pit Spitters will travel to Battle Creek for the final time of the season as they take on the Battle Jacks in a two-game series. First pitch is 6:35PM. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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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About the Traverse City Pit Spitters: The Traverse City Pit Spitters have been members of the Northwoods League since their inaugural season in 2019. The Pit Spitters have won two Northwoods League Championships and delivered their unique brand of FUN to hundreds of thousands of fans. The Pit Spitters share Managing Partners and principal ownership with the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, based in Comstock Park, Michigan. The team’s home games are played in Traverse City’s favorite multi-purpose outdoor entertainment venue, Turtle Creek Stadium. For more information visit https://northwoodsleague.com/traverse-city-pit-spitters/ or contact Jacqueline Holm at 231-943-0100 Ext. 214/ email JacquelineH@pitspitters.com.
About the Northwoods League: 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. Now in its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 325 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 (NYM), 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 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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.
