Northwoods Battle Creek Battle Jacks

Bombers Get over .500 for the First Time in 2018

Published on August 5, 2018 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Battle Creek Battle Jacks News Release


Battle Creek (33-32, 17-13) defeats the Rockford Rivets (27-37, 9-21) 10-8 at C.O. Brown Saturday night to win their fifth straight game and get over the .500 mark for the first time all season.

Five straight wins is a season best for Battle Creek, and the Bombers have now won six straight games at home, which also marks a season high.

It was a back and forth contest through the first four innings of Saturday night's ball game. Rockford struck first with two runs on one hit in the top of the first. Both runs came with two outs when Ryan Cole got hit by a pitch, Parker Bates knocked him in with an RBI triple and Bates scored on a wild pitch by Battle Creek starting pitcher, Walter Talcott.

The Bombers got a run back in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Caleb Henderson that scored Jordan Swiss. Battle Creek then tied the game 2-2 in the second after Jalen Thomas and Jake Wilson singled, Thomas moved to third on a fielder's choice by Roman Trujillo and scored on an error by Rockford second basemen Kian O'Brien.

The Rivets came back and exploded for six runs on four hits in the third inning off Talcott. After a lineout to begin the inning, Talcott allowed a single to Parker Kelly, hit Brennan Reback with a pitch and walked Ryan Cole to load the bases. Bates then knocked in two runs with a single and Jimmy Day also hit a two-RBI single.

Talcott left the game after just two and two-thirds innings pitched, and allowed eight earned runs on four hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

Patrick Hohlfeld relieved Talcott and immediately gave up a two-RBI triple to Logan Michaels. Both runs were charged to Talcott. Hohlfeld got Zach Sehgal to pop out to end the inning.

The Bombers responded with five runs in the bottom half of the third. Swiss started the inning with an infield single and Henderson struck out. Zach Gartner followed Henderson with a single and Drake Osborn walked to load the bases. Thomas also walked to bring in a run and Wilson's second hit of the day knocked in Gartner to make it 8-4. Roman Trujillo kept the inning going with a two-RBI single that scored Osborn and Thomas, and Will Baker drove in Wilson with a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-7 after three innings.

Hohlfeld pitched a 1,2,3 fourth inning, and the Bombers struck three times in the bottom of the fourth to take a 10-8 lead. With two outs in the inning, Gartner walked, Osborn was hit by a pitch, and Thomas hit an infield single to load the bases once again. Wilson came through with a two-RBI double to give the Bombers a 9-8 lead, and Trujillo picked up his third RBI of the game with an RBI single to score Thomas. Wilson was thrown out at the plate to end the inning and Battle Creek took a 10-8 lead into the fifth.

The 10-8 lead held as Hohlfeld pitched the fifth and sixth scoreless and picked up his first victory of the season for Battle Creek.

Brett Manis came into pitch the last three innings and gave up just one hit while striking out four to close the game and earn his fourth save of the season.

Battle Creek returns to C.O. Brown for the last home game of the 2018 season Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 EST against the Rivets.

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Northwoods League Stories from August 5, 2018


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