TRAVERSE CITY — The weekend two-game series between the Traverse City Pit Spitters and Battle Creek Battle Jacks worked in the Spitters’ favor after suffering two straight losses since returning from All-Star break.
Traverse City won Saturday’s contest 14-5 and edged out the Battle Jacks 6-5 to take the series and inch closer themselves closer to first place in the Great Lakes East Division.
Because of the two losses to the Growlers (14-9) before the weekend series against Battle Creek, Traverse City (15-10) is tied for first place in the GLE second half of the season race but Kalamazoo owns the tiebreaker.
Traverse City (32-28) remains 1.5 games behind for second place overall, behind the Growlers (32-26).
Ethan Guerra, Brett Rozman, and Jt Sokolove were the only Spitters on Sunday to collect multiple hits. Aaron Piasecki and Rozman drove in two runs. Guerra and Camden Tranficnte tacked on a run.
Jake Ickes (1-0, 2.25 ERA) picked up the win in relief for Collin Bradley (1-0, 4.22 ERA), who went six innings and allowed four earned runs. Bradley went two innings and gave up a run. Mason Hill (1-2, 4.55 ERA) closed it out in the ninth for his sixth save of the season, striking out one.
The Spitters splashed 12 runs in the third inning in Saturday’s rout. Ethan Guerra and Aaron Piasecki collected two hits each, but Guerra was the only Spitter with six RBI. Piasecki and Sokolove finished with two RBI. Jt Sokolove, Rozman, Trent Reed, and Carter Hain collected a hit.
Parker Wakeman (1-0, 4.80 ERA) picked up the win after five innings and gave up three runs. The Spitters relied on four bullpen pitchers, including Traverse City Central alum Josh Kulg, who went an inning and gave up zero runs and walked one.
Traverse City has the day off on Monday and returns to the diamond in Kokomo, Indiana on Tuesday for a two-game series against the Jackrabbits to close out August. The Spitters return to Turtle Creek Stadium on Thursday to host the Battle Jacks.
Logan Pikur (1-2, 5.79 ERA) is set to take the mound on Tuesday with the first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m.