Battle Creek, MI – August 3, 2025 – The Traverse City Pit Spitters lose their first game in over a week during a 3-2 thriller against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks Sunday afternoon in front of 1,576 fans at C.O. Brown Stadium.

The Pit Spitters offense struggled to come up with a big hit in the later innings as a two-run base hit from Battle Jacks Ty Tomlinson in the bottom of the fourth inning was enough to secure Battle Creek’s first win in a week.

Traverse City’s offense was setup for a big inning in the top of the first as they had two runners on base with two-outs. Cade Collins drove in the team’s first run of the game with a base hit into center field to bring his team leading RBI total to 49 – the fourth most in a single season in Pit Spitters franchise history. Jacob Kucharczyk got back at his former team with a lead off base hit into right field in the top of the fourth inning. He later scored on another base hit by Grady Mee to extend the Spitters lead to 2-0. In the bottom part of the frame, Ty Tomlinson led off the inning before he scored on a single hit to the outfield to cut the Battle Jacks deficit down to 2-1. After scoring the first run of the game, Tomlinson drove in the next two runs of the game on a base hit to left field to give the Battle Jacks their first lead of the series at 3-2. From that point on the Spitters struggled to put anything together as they were retired in order in every inning from the fifth onto the eighth. Kucharczyk struggled as he grounded into two double plays to end the inning throughout the game. The last major opportunity for the Spitters was in the top of the eighth inning with two outs as bases were loaded until Trent Reed lined out to second base to end the inning. The Spitters loss is just their second loss over the last 20 games.

Traverse City falls to 44-21 and 23-8 in the second half while Battle Creek improves to 31-35 overall and 11-20 in the second half. Ciaran Caughey (2-1) struggled against Battle Creek as he allowed three runs on six hits, two walks, and struckout four through five innings. Anthony Sanchez (2-1) was efficient as he earned his second win of the season by completing seven innings of two-run ball while allowing five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.

UP NEXT

The Pit Spitters will travel back to Traverse City for the beginning of a two-game home stand featuring the Rockford Rivets. This will be the final time that the Rivets will plays the Spitters this season. First pitch is tomorrow night 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.