Breakout Eighth Inning Pushes Pit Spitters Past Rival Kalamazoo
Northwoods Traverse City Pit Spitters

Breakout Eighth Inning Pushes Pit Spitters Past Rival Kalamazoo

Published on July 2, 2026 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Traverse City Pit Spitters News Release


In a tie game in the eighth inning, the Traverse City Pit Spitters broke through for three runs, using the late push to beat the rival Kalamazoo Growlers, 6-3, on Thursday night at Turtle Creek Stadium.

The win marked Traverse City's sixth straight victory over Kalamazoo in 2026 and moved the Pit Spitters to 2-0 in the second half.

A crowd of 3,211 fans watched Traverse City capture its 11th consecutive home win, backed by a strong debut from starting pitcher Logan Tapman, who threw five scoreless innings in his first appearance for the Pit Spitters.

Traverse City plated two runs in the first inning on consecutive RBI hits from Aaron Grant and Josh Stonehouse, with Stonehouse's coming on a double.

The Pit Spitters added another run in the fourth to take a 3-0 lead, as Ethan Guerra delivered a run-scoring single to build on his team-leading RBI total, now up to 33.

Traverse City held that lead until late, when Kalamazoo scored one run in the seventh against Drew Ferguson and two more in the eighth against Gabe Helder to tie the game at 3-3.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Pit Spitters responded immediately. Noah Gerrick singled to bring home the go-ahead run before Jacob Kucharczyk delivered the big swing, a bases-loaded single to score two more and give Traverse City a 6-3 cushion.

David Heefner took over late and faced the tying run at the plate in the ninth, but got 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Josh Campbell to ground into a 5-3 double play to seal the win. Heefner worked 1.2 innings and was credited with the victory.

Mason Pilarski also made his Traverse City debut on the mound, throwing a perfect sixth inning.

The Pit Spitters (2-0) and Growlers (2-1) will face off again Friday night at Turtle Creek Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Friday's homestand finale will feature a 4Front patriotic hat giveaway for the first 500 fans, another fireworks show, and a jersey auction benefiting the 4Front Foundation.

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Northwoods League Stories from July 2, 2026


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