Battle Creek Bombers Player Makes ESPN Show
The Battle Creek Bombers had a tough start to the 2018 season and the highlights have been minimal. One highlight made national news in a game the Bomb Squad would lose.
The Bombers began a five-day, six-game grind in Green Bay against the Bullfrogs June 25th. Battle Creek trailed 5-0 after the first inning and the runs continued to cross the plate for Green Bay, en route to a 14-0 score. The Bombers allowed 18 hits on the night, all of them in the first seven innings.
In the home half of the eighth, Bombers outfielder Zach Gartner (East Texas Baptist) would toe the slab in relief, most likely in a move to save on pitching. Gartner was impressive, not allowing a hit in his inning of relief. How he got his lone strike out made ESPN's Pardon The Interruption. Here's the highlight from the the June 27th pre-game show from Northwoods League.
The Bombers would win the following night 10-4, with Gartner smacking his second homer of the season and driving in four runs. He's third on the team in hitting at .310 and his two homers and 17 RBI lead the Bombers.
In case you wanted to see the final line for Gartner from the game, take a look at the box score.
Entering the final week of the first half, the Bombers are in sixth place in the South Division. The top two teams in each half make the postseason, and the Bombers are well out of range to get in for the first half, trailing the rival Kalamazoo Growlers by 7 1/2 games. The second half begins July 3rd with the Bombers series finale with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at C.O. Brown Stadium.