Battle Creek (MI) The Battle Creek Bombers won a pitching showdown over the Waterloo Bucks, 3-2 at C.O. Brown Stadium on Thursday night. The teams combined for 25 strikeouts as pitching definitely controlled the game as scoring was limited to only two innings all night and other chances were snuffed out.

Connor McClain and John Ziznewski had three hits apiece. Starting pitcher Aaron Rhodes suffered the tough luck loss, going five innings, allowing three runs and striking out eight. Reliever Steve Maher threw three scoreless innings of relief.

Waterloo took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on McClain’s ropped two-out, single  to right center field scored Pat MacKenzie and Austin Pernell.

The lead held up until the fifth when Battle Creek put their runs on the board. Greg Velasquez walked and Timmy Mirabelli was hit by a pitch to start the innings. After a sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position, Velasquez scored on Jared Foster’s infield single to make it 2-1.

Foster then stole second and again the Bombers had two runners in scoring position.

Rhodes would then strikeout Rouric Bridgewater, and would get ahead of Kade Scivicque 0-2 before he bounced a two-out single up the middle to plate two runs and give Battle Creek the 3-2 lead.

Waterloo had numerous chances late, including having the tying run at third base with no outs in the seventh, but couldn’t push the tying run across.