Stonehouse Ignites Pit Spitters Offense in 14-4 Win to Split with Battle Creek
Northwoods Traverse City Pit Spitters

Stonehouse Ignites Pit Spitters Offense in 14-4 Win to Split with Battle Creek

Published on June 3, 2026 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Traverse City Pit Spitters News Release


Battle Creek, MI - Wednesday night's finale at MCCU Field stayed tight through the first five innings. Then the Traverse City Pit Spitters exploded.

Traverse City broke the game open with an eight-run sixth inning -- its largest frame of the season -- and buried the Battle Creek Battle Jacks, 14-4, to earn a split of the two-game series. The 14 runs marked a new season high for the Pit Spitters, powered by a standout performance from Josh Stonehouse, who homered, scored four times, and reached base in four of his five plate appearances.

The series split between the two Great Lakes East Division foes marked the first of many meetings, as Traverse City and Battle Creek are set to face each other 10 more times during the 2026 season.

Traverse City collected its third home run of the series in the top of the second, when Stonehouse launched a shot down the right-field line for his second homer of the summer. Later in the inning, Zach Carlson, making his Traverse City debut, drove in Jack Laffitte with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Battle Creek got a run back in the next inning on a two-out RBI single from Thomas Cooper, cutting the Pit Spitters lead to 2-1 through three.

That was all Traverse City starter Max Hammond would allow. The left-hander was extremely effective, needing just 64 pitches across four innings while walking one Battle Jack and striking out three. Gabe Helder took over out of the bullpen, and would ultimately take the win.

Battle Creek countered with right-hander Ben Kochany, who went five innings and allowed four earned runs.

Traverse City added single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to stretch the lead to 4-1.

Stonehouse was active again in the fourth, reaching on a walk, taking second on a passed ball, and scoring when a Caleb Mallory blooper found green grass between the first baseman, second baseman, and right fielder.

Aaron Grant followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, marking his third consecutive game with an extra-base hit while extending his hit streak to eight games -- every contest he has played in this season.

Battle Creek responded with two runs against Helder in the fifth, cutting Traverse City's lead to 4-3 on a pair of run-scoring singles.

Then the Battle Creek bullpen unraveled, and the Pit Spitters put together their best offensive inning of the 2026 season.

Traverse City sent 12 hitters to the plate in the top of the sixth -- also a season high -- scoring eight runs on five free passes, three of them coming with the bases loaded, an Ethan Guerra RBI single, a Noah Gerrick sacrifice fly, and a Jack Laffitte two-run double.

Laffitte would tally a team-leading 3 RBI night.

Stonehouse reached twice in the inning and scored twice. He finished the contest 1-for-2 with a home run, an RBI, two walks, one hit-by-pitch, four runs scored, and a stolen base.

Battle Creek scored its final run of the game against Sam Pollack in the seventh. Pollack worked three innings, and Miles Williams pitched a scoreless ninth.

Traverse City tacked on two more runs in the ninth, as Mallory scored on a wild pitch and Guerra came home on an error to bring the final score to 14-4.

After going homerless through the first four games of the 2026 season, the Pit Spitters have now homered in five of their last six contests.

Traverse City also surpassed its previous season high of nine runs. Despite the 10-run difference on the scoreboard, the Pit Spitters outhit the Battle Jacks 8-7.

Traverse City (4-6) will return home to Turtle Creek Stadium on Thursday morning for an 11:05 a.m. first pitch against Kalamazoo to begin a two-game set. Battle Creek (6-5) continues its homestand tomorrow, welcoming in Wisconsin Rapids for two games.

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Northwoods League Stories from June 3, 2026


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