Spitters Season Ends in 10-5 Loss Championship Loss
Northwoods Traverse City Pit Spitters

Spitters Season Ends in 10-5 Loss Championship Loss

Published on August 13, 2025 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Traverse City Pit Spitters News Release


Traverse City, MI - The Traverse City Pit Spitters were outscored by the Green Bay Rockers in the Great Lakes Championship game 10-5 in front of 1,047 fans Tuesday night at Turtle Creek Stadium.

Errors got the best of the Pit Spitters defensively as on the offensive side of the game they struggled to get the bats hot as they didn't score their first run until the bottom of the eighth inning.

Green Bay scored their first run of the game on a controversial call as with a 3-2 count and bases loaded and two outs, pitching coach Rocky Mauriello stepped out of the dugout where time was called before it wasn't. This resulted in Max Hammond throwing ball four and walking in a run to give the Rockers and early 1-0 lead. After a leadoff double hit by Eli Selga, David Ballenilla hit a sacrifice flyout to score him to extend their lead to 2-0. The top of the sixth inning the Rockers put together a big inning that was started by Eric Jeon being hit by a pitch. Following a base hit from Collin Helms, Selga drove in a run on a single to left field to make it 3-0. Then, Joe Mennella took advantage of an overthrow to add another run to push the Rockers lead to 4-0. The top of the seventh inning was when things got out of control for the Spitters as Green Bay scored six runs off two errors. The first two runs came on a dropped catch in center field by Alfredo Velazquez to extend their lead to 6-0. Mansfield kept it rolling with an RBI groundout to make it 7-0. Then a series of RBI groundouts happened as Selga drove in the first, before Mennella hit a one-run double when Ballenilla ended the rally with a run scored on an error committed by Adam Broski to bring their lead to 10-0.

The Pit Spitters made it interesting in the last couple of innings as Ballenilla botched a groundball hit to him that allowed them to score their first run of the night. Following an RBI groundout from Jake McNamara, Hunter Herndon hit his first extra-base hit of the season as he drove in a pair of runs on a ball to right field to cut the Rockers lead down to 10-4. The final run of the season for the Spitters came on balk by Drew Aguiar to give the game it's final score of 10-5.

Traverse City's season comes to an end with a 10-5 loss in the Great Lakes Championship game, while the Rockers will advance to their second championship game in three years, and they will await the winner of the Great Plains Champion. Byrce Leonard (1-0) earned his first win of the postseason after five shutout innings where he allowed just four hits, three walks, and struckout five. Drew Ferguson (0-1) was handed his first loss of the postseason after six runs score on four hits.



Northwoods League Stories from August 13, 2025


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