Pit Spitters KO Kalamazoo, 3-2, take 1-0 lead in Northwoods League playoffs

Aug. 13—TRAVERSE CITY — Timely hitting mixed with lockdown pitching proved to be the winning formula for the Traverse City Pit Spitters as they opened Northwoods League playoff action Sunday.

Trailing 2-0 to the Great Lakes East Division champion Kalamazoo Growlers heading into the bottom of the fifth inning at Turtle Creek Stadium, the Pit Spitters plated three runs to take the lead, get the win and go up 1-0 in the best-of-three series.

"I didn't sense any nerves from our guys," Pit Spitters Field Manager Josh Rebandt said. "It was more just anxiousness to get to 5:05. Our guys were locked in, and we have a lot of returners who have played in these type of games. They managed the clubhouse and kept everyone pretty loose."

Camden Traficante took a 2-0 pitch to right field for a single to lead off the bottom of the fifth. After an Alec Atkinson flyout to left, Andrew Mannelly reached on an error by the second baseman to put the tying runs on base.

Colin Summerhill singled to left to load the bases, and then Parker Brosius came through in the clutch with a full-count, two-RBI single up the middle and into centerfield to knot the game at 2-2. Cole Prout didn't feel like waiting long to take the lead as he singled to right on the first pitch he saw to score Summerhill and give the Pit Spitters the 3-2 lead.

Rebandt said it was vital for the Pit Spitters to take advantage of the breaks the Growlers gave them.

"You have to do that, especially when you're at the heart of your order. Those are chances and opportunities you can't miss if you're going to win a championship," he said. "That obviously gave us a lot of momentum."

Having players like Summerhill, Brosius, Mannelly and Prout come through was another key component to the win.

"Colin is a three-year guy and has been around for a while," Rebandt said. "He talked to me in the offseason and just said, 'Skip, I can't wait to get back and win the whole thing this time.' Getting him back and what he's done down the stretch has been really good to see. Parker has been consistent all year. If he gets on first, it's almost an automatic double. Mannelly at the top of the order has been a catalyst, and Prout has been really good post-All-Star break."

The one-run lead was enough for Aren Gustafson, who was no less than brilliant on the mound. The 6-foot-4 southpaw pitched eight solid innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Gustafson bounced back after giving up an early solo home run to Kalamazoo's Will Furniss in the top of the second inning, showing resolve on the mound to keep the Pit Spitters' bullpen in ready-to-go shape for game two Monday.

"Kalamazoo is good, there's no doubt about it. So for Goose (Gustafson) to do what he did against them was really, really awesome," Rebandt said. "He commanded his pitches well enough. I wouldn't say he commanded it incredibly well and he wasn't locating his offspeed as well as he wanted, but that's what makes him such a great pitcher. He just keeps throwing the baseball and doesn't let one or two pitches faze him. That's why he's been so good in big moments for us."

Maddux Hoaglund pitched over a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth to get the save, striking out one and not allowing a hit while inducing a groundball doubleplay to end the game.

Eamon Horwedel took the hard-luck loss for the Growlers, pitching a complete game and allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits and no walks with four strikeouts. The game lasted just a little over two hours.

"When you match up Horwedel and Goose, those two guys throw a lot of strikes," Rebandt said. "That's what keeps that game so fast-paced. You can blink, and then it's over. That's why taking advantage of those opportunities early on was so key."

The Pit Spitters won the Great Lakes East Division in the first half of the season to earn a playoff berth, but they hovered around .500 for a good portion of the second half. A definitive win over Kalamazoo, one of the hottest teams in the Northwoods League, was a nice boost of confidence.

"I wouldn't say I had any nerves about where we were as a team," Rebandt said. "We lost some arms at the end of the first half, so we had to reset our pitching rotation and we had taxed our bullpen quite a bit down the stretch of the first half to clinch (the division). So we were kind of limping there for a while, and I feel we didn't even have a chance to catch our breath until the All-Star break.

"Once we got guys rested and reset our rotation to get ready for the playoffs, I knew we were going to have a good chance to do something. And we've got a chance now, but we know the series isn't over yet."

The Pit Spitters travel to Kalamazoo to take on the Growlers in game two Monday. Nathan Dvorsky (1-1, 5.71 ERA) gets the start at Homer Stryker Field with the chance to close out the series and move on to the semifinals. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.

"When you're up 1-0, you don't want to take anything for granted. If you do, you could walk into game three like game one didn't even happen," Rebandt said. "We just have to keep our foot on the gas pedal and steer the ship in the right direction."