TRAVERSE CITY — Turtle Creek Stadium hasn’t been kind to the opposition this season.
The Traverse City Pit Spitters hope it continues that way.
Cade Collins’ 10th-inning sacrifice fly to deep center field emphatically closed out an 8-7 baseball victory over the Royal Oak Leprechauns, not even drawing a throw home as the Spitters won the team’s 15th straight home victory and clinched home-field advantage for as long as they stay in the Northwoods League playoffs.
The Pit Spitters’ 25th come-from-behind victory of the season saw the team rally from down six runs to tie the contest 7-7 in the eighth inning Saturday night at Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City.
The win, coupled with a St. Cloud 10-1 loss to Mankato, gave the Spitters the Northwoods’ best record at 49-22, including a 30-7 home mark. The Rox finish 47-22.
“To know that they had the best record in the Northwoods League, and to cap it off after being down 7-1,” first-year Traverse City manager Todd Reid said. “Just a special moment for these guys. They really wanted to win this game. A lot of times, for game 72 everything’s already decided, and guys will coast. But just they wanted to win it bad, and they wanted to say, ‘Hey, we’re the best in the league this year.'”
Jacob Kucharczyk made several huge plays to aid the Spitters’ cause during a game that was twice delayed by rain and took 4:36 to complete on Spencer Schwellenbach bobblehead night.
He made a diving catch against the right-field wall in the first inning to rob Ryan Tyranski of a possible extra-base hit, then threw out pinch runner Patrick Ilitch at third on a Noah Bright single. Ilitch, the grandson of former Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch, tried to stretch an extra base from Bright’s single to right.
Ilitch was originally called safe, but Reid appealed, arguing the officials didn’t rotate correctly and one of the officials who didn’t make the call had a better view of the close play at third. After discussion by the umpires, the call was reversed, wiping out a prime scoring opportunity in the tie game.
“First inning, he goes up against the wall and makes an incredible, incredible play,” Reid said. “Then I thought we had no shot at that play to third, and he came up and just threw a seed.”
Kucharczyk, a Battle Creek native, played for his hometown Battle Jacks for five games, hitting .294 before Traverse City picked him up. He’s hit .286 with 14 walks and 14 runs in 15 games in TC.
“He’s phenomenal,” Collins said. “We just picked him up a few weeks ago, and he’s already came in and played a huge part making those plays. He’s just an athlete, and that was awesome for us. Really changed the game.”
The Spitters go into Sunday’s divisional postseason game at Kalamazoo — the only one they’ll play away from Turtle Creek in this year’s playoffs — with much of its team intact. All-Star Aaron Piasecki and the three Dallas Baptist players have returned to their schools, but the majority of the team that closed out the NWL’s best record will suit up for the playoffs.
“That speaks to our culture here in Traverse City,” Reid said. “Our organization supports the guys, treats them first class, treats them like pro players. We have a big advantage over other other teams in the Northwoods League of keeping guys late because they just enjoy their experience here so much.”
Piasecki ended the season hitting .406 to win the NWL batting crown.
“Cade Collins has led us in RBIs all year,” Reid said. “He’s come up in big situations, clutch situations. For him to get down in the count 0-2 and just battle, battle, battle, until he got a ball he can lift in the air, I’m just super happy we have the Wofford guys, him and Hunter Herndon.”
Another Wofford player, Charlie Horne (3-0), recorded the win while tossing two scoreless innings. Herndon had a hit and two walks as TC drew 12 free passes, twice loading the bases with none out, but coming out of each situation with only a run to show for it.
An error in the outfield turned Carter Hain’s single into a four-bagger in Traverse City’s four-run seventh.
Alfredo Valazquez came across on Brandon Sanchez’ eighth-inning fielder’s choice to tie the game 7-7 after Royal Oak led 7-1 going into the bottom of the sixth.
Collins has 52 RBI in 58 games.
“Their pitcher got me last time, so it was good to come back and get them the next time,” Collins said. “Do the job and send us home happy.”
The Pit Spitters begin the sub-Division playoffs Sunday night in Kalamazoo with 5:05 p.m. first pitch. It’s the fifth time the Pit Spitters and Growlers faced off in the first round of the playoffs, with Kalamazoo beating Traverse just once.
The Spitters host games two and three against Kalamazoo in the best-of-three series Monday and Tuesday (if needed). Traverse City won both halves of the season, and the Growlers claimed the Great Lakes East Division’s second playoff spot by virtue of having the top overall record at 37-35 of the remaining division squads. The Madison Mallards (44-25) missed the playoffs with seven more victories than Kalamazoo because Madison didn’t win either half of the season, with Green Bay and Wausau accomplishing that to win postseason spots.
“The travel here is tough, and our fans are awesome,” Collins said. “Playing in front of these fans for the playoffs will be pretty sick.”