Pit Spitters Erase 6-0 Deficit, Sweep Flying Mummies for Sixth Straight Win
Northwoods Traverse City Pit Spitters

Pit Spitters Erase 6-0 Deficit, Sweep Flying Mummies for Sixth Straight Win

Published on June 21, 2026 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Traverse City Pit Spitters News Release


Traverse City, MI - The Traverse City Pit Spitters trailed the Richmond Flying Mummies 6-0 before they even came to bat Sunday evening at Turtle Creek Stadium.

Eight unanswered runs later, Traverse City completed the comeback, secured an 8-6 win, and earned a two-game sweep of Richmond in front of a Father's Day crowd of 2,775 fans.

The victory marked a season-high sixth consecutive win for the Pit Spitters, who moved to 17-11 overall while wrapping up a six-game homestand at Turtle Creek Stadium.

Traverse City remains one game back of the first-place Kalamazoo Growlers in the Great Lakes East Division, with eight games remaining in the Northwoods League first-half schedule.

After Richmond scored six runs on six hits in the top of the first, knocking starter Jake Ickes out of the game after one inning, the Pit Spitters bullpen took over and completely changed the direction of the night.

Traverse City received eight scoreless innings from its bullpen, led by a heroic four-inning effort from Gabe Helder and a strong outing from Alex Alberico. Both arms allowed just one hit, with Alberico earning his first win of the summer in his second appearance.

The Pit Spitters began chipping away with three runs in the third and two more in the sixth.

Jacob Kucharczyk drove in a run with a single in the third, and Aaron Grant followed with a two-run single of his own to cut into the deficit.

In the sixth, JT Smith scored on a wild pitch before Kucharczyk avoided a double play on a fielder's choice, allowing another run to score and trimming Richmond's lead to 6-5.

Then came the swing that brought Turtle Creek Stadium to life.

Trailing by one in the bottom of the seventh, Ethan Guerra led off the inning with a game-tying solo home run to right field, his third homer of 2026 to lead the Pit Spitters. The blast also tied Guerra's Northwoods League season high, set during his third summer in the league.

Traverse City kept rolling from there. Zach Carlson, who took over in left field after Cole Van Ameyde left the game due to injury, delivered an RBI single to give the Pit Spitters the lead. Smith added another RBI single later in the frame, pushing Traverse City in front 8-6.

That score would hold.

Josh Stonehouse and Smith both finished with multi-hit games, while the Pit Spitters recorded 10 hits as a team. Traverse City's pitching staff combined to strike out nine Flying Mummies while walking four.

The Pit Spitters (17-11) will hit the road Monday to open a two-game series against Royal Oak, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

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Northwoods League Stories from June 21, 2026


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