Hill Strikes Out Five; Pit Spitters Drop Game One

Royal Oak, MI – June 18, 2024 – The Traverse City Pit Spitters lose the first game of a four-game series against the Royal Oak Leprechauns, 5-4, in front of 626 fans at Memorial Park.

The Pit Spitters come off their second off day of the season in hopes to turn things around, and the bats started out on the right foot. Jt Sokolove doubled to right field to lead off the game to instantly put a runner in scoring position. Sokolove then stole third, and later scored when Brett Denby grounded out to the pitcher to give the Pit Spitters a 1-0 lead. The offense didn’t stop there, in the top of the second inning, newcomer, Jasen Oliver, singled to center field. Cole Prout followed up the single with a walk and then he and Oliver advanced a base when Brandon Chang dropped a bunt. Vahn Lackey loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Desperately needing a big hit with runners in scoring position Michael Tchavdarov doubled to left field scoring both Oliver and Prout to extend the Pit Spitters lead to 3-0. Starting pitcher Dylan Krause was in the midst of another stellar performance on the mound until the Leprechauns finally struck gold. Michael Lareau led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a walk. Two batters later, Oliver Service singled to left field. In his debut with the Leprechauns, Jarren Purify singled to left field scoring Lareau to cut into the Pit Spitters lead 3-1. Parker Picot doubled to center field scoring Service and Purify to tie the game at 3-3. Nate Ball then gave the Leprechauns the lead with a sacrifice flyout to give them a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Cam Hollobaugh led off with a single to left field and then Riley Frost was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Lareau grounded into a fielder’s choice putting runners on the corners with one out. Frost was thrown out at home following another fielder’s choice that was grounded into by Ryan Mckay. Lareau then stole home on a double steal attempt giving the Leprechauns a much-needed insurance run to make it 5-3. In the top of the seventh inning Aaron Piasecki doubled, Carter Hain singled, and Oliver was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Pit Spitters were only able to scrape across one run on a single from Prout to give us the final score of 5-4.

The Pit Spitters drop to 10-11 on the season, while the Leprechauns improve to 11-10. The Pit Spitters starting pitcher Dylan Krause threw five innings, giving up four runs on five hits, walking two batters, and striking out three. Santiago Garcia threw an inning of one run ball giving up one run on a hit. Mason Hill threw two innings of scoreless ball striking out five.

The Pit Spitters will stay in Royal Oak for a double header tomorrow. First pitch of game one is 1:35 p.m. 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/ or by email at 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 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world 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, 340 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.