Traverse City Pit Spitters fall to Kalamazoo Growlers in first game of playoffs
Aug. 15—KALAMAZOO — The Traverse City Pit Spitters now find themselves in a must-win situation if they are to defend their 2021 Northwoods League championship.
The Pit Spitters fell victim to the Kalamazoo Growlers in comeback fashion in the first game of the best-of-three playoff series at Homer Stryker Fielder, losing 5-4 on Sunday.
The Pit Spitters dominated the second half of the season in the Great Lakes East, going 27-9 and winning the division by seven games in the second half and coming back to win the entire division by eight games to make the postseason. The Growlers struggled and went 14-21 in the second half, but Kalamazoo won five straight to end the regular season.
And now the Growlers have won six straight.
Traverse City pulled ahead in the top of the second inning when Sam Tackett deposited a 2-0 pitch over the left-field fence for a two-run homer, scoring Camden Traficante who walked to lead off the inning.
The Pit Spitters threatened to score more in the frame and had men at the corners with two outs, but Marshall Toole flied out to right field to keep the score at just 2-0.
The Growlers, who earned their playoff berth after winning the Great Lakes East Division in the first half of the season, cut the Spitters' lead in half in the bottom of the third. Anthony Stephan grounded out to the shortstop to bring in Zach Spradlin, who led off the inning with a five-pitch walk.
Traverse City pushed its lead to three runs at 4-1 in the top of the fifth. Alec Atkinson led off with a single and then scored two pitches later when Evan Orzech ripped a triple into right. Orzech scampered home two batters later on a Brennen Dorighi single past the shortstop.
But the Growlers refused to go away.
Kalamazoo clawed back with a single run in the bottom of the fifth. Spradlin reached on an error to lead off the frame and then later scored on a Vince Bianchina single to left to make it 4-2.
Myles Beale brought the Growlers to within one at 4-3 with a two-out solo home run to right in the bottom of the sixth. Kalamazoo would go ahead for good with two more runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Spradling scored his third run of the game after doubling to lead off the inning and then touching home plate on a Stephan home run to right that made it 5-4.
Brody Ware set down the Spitters in order on just nine pitches in the top of the eighth, and Logan Bursick-Harrington nailed down the save in the ninth. Toole singled off Bursick-Harrington to put the tying run on base and bring the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Dorighi, but the closer came back from a 3-0 count to get Dorighi on strikes to end the mild threat.
The Pit Spitters look to avoid elimination Monday when they come back to Traverse City for game two of the three-game set. Aaron Forrest (4-1, 2.57 ERA) gets the start for the Spitters.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Turtle Creek Stadium.
