Rockets split in pool play

FORT WAYNE — The Rockets have had an up-and-down season.

That trend continued into the postseason.

The Portland Rockets split their first two games of pool play dropping their first game 13-4 against the Livonia Firebirds on Thursday before beating the Detroit Aces 8-1 on Friday.

The Firebirds opened the game up early with a six-run second inning. They smashed two doubles, three singles and earned three walks against Tyler Reynolds, who would go on to suffer the loss, giving up seven runs in two innings.

Crosby Heniser pitched 3 1/3 innings of relief, giving up one run. 

The Rockets fought back with two runs in the third inning with Dakota Durick and Jared Holley driving run in, but the Firebirds put five more runs up against Peyton Smith in the seventh.

Smith and Zach Tanner also drove in runs for Portland. Durick was the only Rocket to record multiple hits in the game.

Five different players drove in two or more runs while six had multiple hits.

The Rockets wasted no time in game two, plating four runs in the first inning. Heniser, Holley and Tanner all singled to begin the game for the Rockets before Joel Kennedy blasted a grand slam to left field to score all four of the runs.

They piled two more runs in the second on a passed ball and a ground ball double play that allowed a run.

The seventh run scored in the third on a Noah Collins single.

Kennedy drove in his fifth RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly in the fourth to finish the Rockets’ scoring.

Garrison Brege went the distance for Portland, striking out nine batters over seven innings in the winning effort. He only gave up two hits and the only run against Brege came in the third inning when a run scored after tagging up on a fly ball to center field. 

The win broke a nine-game losing streak and kept the Rockets’ record at an even 17-17 on the season.

The final game of pool play against the Fort Wayne Blues was suspended due to weather in the top of the fifth inning.

The Rockets led the game 3-1 with runners on first and third and only one out at the time of suspension. 

Smith hit a pair of RBI-singles in the first and third inning to score two runs while Kennedy hit an RBI-double two batters before the game was stopped.

Sam Dunlavy pitched all four innings for Portland, giving up one run on a groundout in the bottom of the first inning.

The Rockets will begin bracket play today. They will either be facing the Firebirds or the Aces for a second time based off of results from pool play.