Traverse City, MI – July 31, 2025 – The Traverse City Pit Spitters take game one of the series against the Royal Oak Leprechauns 4-2 in front of 4,007 fans at Turtle Creek Stadium on Thursday night.

Jacob Kucharczyk’s two-run triple in the bottom of the fifth springs the Pit Spitters in front of the Leprechauns as they never looked back added two more runs over the next two innings to win their 17th game in 18 games.

With Nathan Webb getting the nod for the Pit Spitters, things were off to a bit of a rough start in the top of the ninth as he hit a batter and allowed a base knock to put two runners on. Jovan Gill came through with the go-ahead run as he singled up the middle to give Royal Oak a 1-0 lead. Webb settled down following the run as he forced a popup and a groundout to get out of the inning. Traverse City collected their first hit of the game on a single to center field off the bat of Adam Broski. Following Andrew Mack’s sacrifice bunt to advance Broski, Alfredo Velazquez was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. Kucharczyk continued his great night at the plate with a bases clearing triple to give the Spitters their first lead of the night at 2-1. The Spitters added one in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI fielder’s choice by Cade Collins before Isaac Sturgess drove in a run on a base hit in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Spitters a 4-1 lead. Eliott Traver entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning where he escaped a two out walk. In the top of the ninth inning, Royal Oak didn’t make it easy for him as Noah Bright doubled before Ryan Tyranski singled to drive him in to make it 4-2. After Camdin Jansen singled to left field, Traver got Dylan Larkins down on strikes and Danny Cook to flyout to end the ballgame. Traver picked up his eighth save of the season, tying a single season franchise record on top of picking up his 40th collegiate career saves.

Traverse City improves to 42-20 and 21-7 in the second half while Royal Oak drops to 30-32 overall and 13-13 in the second half. Nathan Webb (1-0) earns his first win of the season after his best outing of the year where he threw six innings of one run ball allowing four hits along with three walks. Joey Turner (0-1) was handed his first loss in his first career collegiate start. After a shaky first inning he settled in throwing 4.1 innings allowing two runs on a hit and two walks.

UP NEXT

The Pit Spitters will be in action again tomorrow night as they conclude both their homestand and their series with the Leprechauns. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. Broadcast coverage with Jackson Heiden begins at 7:00 on the Northwoods League Network on the Northwoods League + app.

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The Pit Spitters Are Going Cashless: Starting in 2025, Turtle Creek Stadium will transition to a fully cashless operation to enhance fan safety, streamline transactions, and improve efficiency. All purchases, including tickets, concessions, and merchandise, will require contactless payments. Fans needing to convert cash can do so at designated locations. This move ensures a smoother, more convenient game-day experience for all. Read more here.

About the Northwoods League: The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 380 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network.