Late Inning Woes Keep Pit Spitters Winless

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Northwoods Traverse City Pit Spitters

Late Inning Woes Keep Pit Spitters Winless

May 28, 2025 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Traverse City Pit Spitters News Release


Royal Oak, MI - The Traverse City Pit Spitters fall late in game one of the two game series against the Royal Oak Leprechauns, 4-3.

Following their opening series loss to the Rockford Rivets, the Pit Spitters were in desperate need to get into the win column for the first time this season. The Pit Spitters would turn to the hometown pitcher Jack Griffiths to start the ballgame. Griffiths came through with the best outing of the early season. He went on to record seven innings of one run ball allowing five walks while striking out eight batters.

Great pitching needs great offense, and the offense struck first for the second night in a row. Much like last night, Joey Tessmer and Colton Roquemore led off the game with back-to-back singles. Two out hitting has been one of the bigger struggles in the first couple of games for the offense, however, it didn't appear that way when Isaac Sturgess came to the plate and hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Tessmer to give the Pit Spitters a 1-0 lead.

Throughout the first couple of games of the season, shutting down the opposing offense in the first inning has been a problem for the pitching staff. Things were looking great for Griffiths as he struckout the first two batters before allowing a walk to Jack Dauer of the Leprechauns. Things began to snowball from there as he allowed a single and another walk to load the bases. During an at-bat with Chase Van Ameyde a pitch got away from Pit Spitters catcher Adam Broski allowing Dauer to score to tie the game up at 1-1. Luckily for Griffiths he would complete the at-bat with a strikeout.

Griffiths was lights out for the rest of his outing throwing six scoreless innings from that point on. In the top of the fourth inning, things were looking bleak for the Pit Spitters offense as they opened with back-to-back strikeouts to open their half of the inning. Aiden Brunin drew a two out walk where he then swiped his second stolen base of the season to put himself into scoring position. Jake McNamara singled to right field driving in Brunin for his second RBI of the season to give the Pit Spitters a 2-1 lead.

Looking for more insurance runs, Sturgess doubled with one out in the top of the eighth inning to get the offense started. Ben Green would then single to left field to extend the Pit Spitters lead to 3-1.

Kellen Roberts replaced Griffiths in the bottom of the eighth inning looking to setup the ninth inning for the closer. Roberts began by hitting the leadoff hitter, Dylan Larkins. The Leprechauns offense then found the gaps with back-to-back doubles which allowed two runs to come across the plate to tie the game at 3-3. Down to his final strike of the inning, Roberts got a groundball hit to Roquemore, who then threw the ball away allowing Devan Zirwas to score giving the Leprechauns a 4-3 lead.

Now playing from behind, McNamara led off the top of the ninth inning by getting hit by a pitch. Brandon Sanchez squandered any opportunity as he grounded into a double play. Tessmer would go on to groundout to end the ballgame.

The Pit Spitters fall short of their first win of the season and drop to 0-3 on the season while the Leprechauns pick up their first win on the season, improving to 1-2.

Traverse City will conclude their four-game road trip as they play game two of the series against Royal Oak. First pitch is 11:05PM.



Northwoods League Stories from May 28, 2025


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