WAUSAU — The 2022 season for the Traverse City Pit Spitters has been a streaky one. Right now, the defending Northwoods League champions are in the midst of their second rough stretch.
The Pit Spitters fell to 8-11 after dropping their fifth straight game. The five losses come on the heels of a six-game winning streak that came shortly after the young franchise’s first-ever five-game losing skid. Now, after falling to the Wausau Woodchucks 4-3 in 11 innings Friday, the Pit Spitters have their second run of five straight defeats.
Traverse City lost all four against the Kenosha Kingfish to open up its six-game road trip. That included blowing a big lead in the nightcap of a doubleheader Wednesday and following it Thursday by giving up the lead in the bottom of the ninth and then losing in walk-off fashion in the 11th inning.
The Spitters got on top early against the Woodchucks (9-10) when Trey Truitt doubled home the opening run and scored on Ariel Garcia’s RBI single for a 2-0 after the top of the first inning. But, just like three of the four games against Kenosha, scoring first wouldn’t help get the win. Wausau homered in the fifth to cut into the Pit Spitters’ lead, and the Woodchucks then tied it in the seventh. Traverse City left seven on base as the game went to extras.
In the 10th, Traverse City failed to score their free runner on second, but Coby Greiner saved the offense. Greiner struck out the side in the bottom half to strand the winning run at second. Marshall Toole scored the go-ahead run in the 11th on a groundout, but once again the Pit Spitters failed to hold a lead.
After a leadoff strikeout, Greiner exited the game, despite striking out five of eight batters faced. Blake Ignaciak entered and threw two straight wild pitches to score the Wausau runner. After a double and two walks, Carson Fischer entered to try and clean up the jam. But the Woodchucks would capitalize and send the winning hit into the gap.
The Spitters look to salvage at least one win on the road trip when they take on the Woodchucks at 7:05 pm Saturday.
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