Rivets Pull Away Late to Beat First Place Leprechauns

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Northwoods Rockford Rivets

Rivets Pull Away Late to Beat First Place Leprechauns

June 7, 2025 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Rockford Rivets News Release


Royal Oak, Mich. - The screws were hot on Saturday, and they're now tied for first place, too.

In a back-and-forth opening game of a series between the first place Royal Oak Leprechauns (7-5) and a divisional foe right on its heels in the bunched up Great Lakes East division, it was the Rockford Rivets (7-5) who emerged victorious, 12-5.

The two teams traded runs multiple times before the Rivets finally pulled away in the ninth to secure an impressive win that featured all phases. A 12-run offensive display, a strong pitching effort, heavy traffic on the basepaths and even a web gem in the field all powered the Rivets to a complete team effort at Memorial Stadium in Royal Oak.

After a clean first inning from Rivets starting pitcher Alexander Llinas (Nova Southeastern), the lefty ran into some trouble in the second after walking the first two hitters of the inning - both of whom came around to score on an infield single and throwing error by third baseman Ean Czech (Wabash Valley). Royal Oak was on top 2-0, but that would end up being their only lead of the night.

From there, Llinas settled in and retired 11 of the final 13 Leprechaun hitters he faced in what ended up being his best outing of the season to date. Llinas struck out five and allowed just one earned run over five innings to lower his season ERA to 4.63.

The Rivets didn't need a whole lot of hitting to respond and take the lead in the middle innings. Zeb Allen (Central Arkansas) got the Rivets on the board with an RBI single in the third, but the Rivets took advantage of some Royal Oak wildness to plate their next five runs - none of which scored on hits.

Rockford scored two runs in the fourth inning to take the lead on back-to-back bases loaded walks drawn by Kolby Felix (Colorado Mesa) and Jackson Forbes (Arizona). In the fifth, the Rivets brought home two more, the first coming on Royal Oak's third hit by pitch of the inning to Allen and the second on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cal Jones (Henderson State).

In relief of Llinas, Aidan Wagley (Ecclesia) - who entered Saturday having yet to allow a run in eight innings out of the bullpen - finally ran into some damage as he struggled to get through a 46-pitch sixth inning that ultimately saw the Leprechauns score three runs to tie the game at five. Wagley did however finish his night with a crucial strikeout that stranded two runners in scoring position to prevent the Leprechauns from pulling out in front.

The Rivets quickly responded by grabbing the lead right back in the top of the seventh. Ny'zaiah Thompson (Modesto) drew a bases loaded walk - the fifth consecutive Rockford run to score without a hit - giving the Rivets the lead right back that only continued to grow.

Finally, with two outs in the seventh, Zeb Allen found the right field grass for a two-run single to give the Rivets some breathing room and unlock Rockford's bats. The Rivets pulled away in the ninth inning with four more runs to slam their foot fully on the gas. Three consecutive RBI hits plated the final three of those runs - RBI doubles from Allen and Cal Jones and an RBI single by Felix.

Zeb Allen was the star of the night on both sides of the field, reaching base four times and going 3-for-4 with 5 RBI - a Rivets single-game high this season - along with his second dazzling defensive play in center field of the week that saved at least one run.

Ben Catrambone (Limestone) made his Rivets debut in relief and delivered an excellent showing in two high leverage innings with the game still within reach. The Illinois native held down the Leprechaun lineup, known early this season for its late inning rallies, and worked around a trio of hits to allow no runs. Gideon Motes (Michigan) got the final three outs and supplied a scoreless inning of his own despite allowing the first two hitters of the inning to reach.

With the victory, the Rivets have moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Great Lakes East division with the Leprechauns and the Kalamazoo Growlers. They'll have a chance to take hold of first on their own and complete a two-game sweep of Royal Oak tomorrow at 4:05 p.m. before closing out their road trip on Monday in Madison.



Northwoods League Stories from June 7, 2025


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