Rockets rebound as winning streak ends

PORTLAND and KOKOMO — The Rockets saw their winning streak come to an end Saturday.

They salvaged the day with a victory.

After being unable to hold on to a late lead in the semifinal, the Portland Rockets rebounded to defeat the South Bend Royals on Saturday to finish third in the Firecracker Classic at Kokomo’s Highland Park.

Portland (8-3) had pushed its winning streak to six games with a 10-9 walk-off victory at home Thursday — the team’s fourth win in its final at bat this season.

The Rockets, who led 8-5 in the semifinal Saturday against the Fort Wayne Jackers, gave up five runs in the ninth inning and lost 13-9. They bounced back with a 6-0 shutout of the Royals in the consolation game.

Playing in his hometown Saturday, Patrick Mills hit a two-run single to kick off the Rockets’ four-run third inning against the Royals, who lost earlier in the day to eventual champion Mishawaka Brewers.

Mills scored Kasey Henderson and Zach Tanner, then Chase Ruiz and Carsten White both notched RBIs. Peyton Hurd knocked in a run during the fifth inning and Mills collected his team-leading 20th RBI in the sixth inning.

Chandler Jacks, a 2016 Jay County High School graduate, shut down the Royals’ offense. He scattered five hits over six shutout innings with five walks.

His only bit of trouble came during his final frame, during which he surrendered back-to-back singles to lead off the inning.

A fielder’s choice gave the Royals runners at the corners, but Jacks induced consecutive flyouts to get out of the jam.

Portland led the Jackers 4-0 after the second inning thanks in part to a two-RBI double from Rene Casas. A five-run third put the Jackers ahead, 5-4, but Portland jumped back out front 8-5 with a run in the fifth inning and three more in the seventh.

Fort Wayne tied the game with three runs in the eighth, and put the game out of reach with its five-run ninth.

Geoff Bowers, Corbin Maddox and Ruiz had two hits each against the Jackers, including Ruiz’s first home run of the season in the seventh inning. Casas led the Rockets with three RBIs.

Ruiz was charged with the loss, allowing five runs on three hits with three walks and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning in relief.

The Jackers lost in the championship game to the Brewers, 6-3.

On Thursday in Portland, the Rockets needed more late-inning heroics to keep their winning streak going. One night after Justin Greene ended a hitless stretch by driving in the game-winning run, Ethan Pittsford was the savior.

Ian Schilling got hit by a pitch with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning. Bowers walked on five pitches, and Parker Link drew a free pass to load the bases.

Pittsford, who was previously 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, knocked in Schilling for Portland’s sixth straight win.

Maddox and White both had RBIs in the first inning, while Jacks and Link each drove in a run during the second as Portland jumped out to a 4-0 advantage.

The Blues scored twice in the third inning and plated five in the fifth for a 7-4 lead, only to have the Rockets tie it in the home half of the frame. The back-and-forth affair continued for the next five innings. Fort Wayne scored in the sixth, Portland answered in the seventh. The Blues made it 9-8 in the eighth, with the Rockets evening the score in the ninth on an RBI sacrifice bunt from White, which led to Pittsford’s moment to shine in the 10th.

White finished with two RBIs. Link collected three singles in his Rocket debut, while Maddox contributed two hits in the win.