LOVES PARK, Ill.- Pitching duels and close games; they been common themes this season for the Rockford University baseball team. Before today's game, Rockford has had 11 games that have been decided by two-runs or less. They have won six of those games, including a 4-3 win yesterday against the University of Chicago. The Regents found themselves in another close game Thursday afternoon against the Carthage College Red Men.
The first two-thirds of the game were completely controlled by pitching. Neither Rockford nor Carthage was able to put a run on the scoreboard until the seventh inning. On the mound for Rockford, and pitching perhaps his best game of the season to date, was Michael Kiviranta (Schaumburg, Ill./Hoffman Estates).
Kiviranta did not allow a hit until the fourth inning. In the sixth inning the Red Men threatened with a one-out double. After a strike-out the next batter was hit by a pitch. Kiviranta then ended the inning with another strike-out. Carthage was finally to get to Kiviranta in the seventh inning.
With two-outs they mounted a rally that was started by a double. A hit-by-pitch and a walk loaded the bases. Kiviranta looked to get out of the inning with a check swing third strike in the dirt, but the batter was not rung up and the runner on third scored on the wild pitch. He finished the game with a season high ten strike-outs in seven innings of work. The run in the seventh inning was the only run he allowed on three hits and one walk.
Rockford was able to get runners on throughout the game but could not find a big hit to drive them in. With two-outs in the second inning Bryan Grabowski (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and Kyle LaMore (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley) both walked but the next batter grounded out. In the third Joe Rigg (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) singled to start the inning and advanced to second on a throwing error but was stranded on third base. Rockford had walks in the fourth and fifth inning but no runs were able to be pushed across the scoreboard.
In the sixth inning Terry Wiltshire (Elizabeth, Ill./River Ridge), Chris Holke (Barrington, Ill./Barrington), and Grabowski all singled in a row with one-out in the inning to load the bases. Unfortunately for the Regents, the Red Men turned a double-play on the next batter to end the inning. In the ninth inning Carthage strung together some hits and a couple of Regents errors allowed two unearned runs to score to give the Red Men a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the inning.
Rockford started a rally right away with LaMore reaching on an error and Connor McHugh (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Schaumburg) singling right after him. But once again Carthage was able to turn a big double-play that cut McHugh down at second and advanced LaMore to third. Jake McKnight (Monroe Center, Ill./Stillman Valley) kept things going with a RBI single to right field but that was all of offense the Regents could muster.
Rockford continues its season with a double-header against conference opponent Lakeland College April 19th at 12:00 p.m.
