BAY CITY — While the defense was strong for the majority of the game for the Bay City Bombers, a pair of timely rallies boosted the New Richmond Millers to a 6-2 road win Sunday.

It was the Bombers that got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning. With the bases loaded, Asher Bee squibbed the ball to the third baseman who was unable to charge in and make a play in time. With the bases still loaded, a strikeout ended any further threat of piling on early.

Catcher/manager Thate Peterson said it was missed opportunities like that one that would go on to cost the team the game.

“The biggest thing was our offensive struggle today,” Peterson said. “[Timely hitting] is clearly the difference in the game.”

The next opportunity came in the bottom of the sixth inning while trailing 3-1. A pair of miscues in the field brought the Bombers a scenario of runners on first and third with nobody out. A strikeout brought the top of the batting order to the plate in Caleb Boelter. Strike three was called by the umpire to the disagreement of both Boelter and the home crowd. Anthony Madsen hit a ball to deep center field, but it was tracked down to end the inning without any damage done.

Boelter would ultimately get redemption in the bottom of the eighth, sending an RBI single to right field to cut the lead to 6-2, but a batter later, the ball was flicked to right and required a leaping effort at first base to save what could have been a late inning collapse from the Millers.

“It was there; they gave us a chance to win,” Peterson said. “A couple stupid mistakes and a couple bloop hits that they got, and that was the difference.”

On the mound, the Bombers were led by a starting pitching performance from Dryden Seeley who went six and a third innings giving up four runs, with the fourth coming as a runner he was responsible for after exiting the game in the seventh.

“Dryden pitched today, kind of his first big game ‘cause he had a knee thing this winter or spring,” Peterson said. “He pitched good. He kind of settled in after the second inning.”

Carter Erickson then took the mound until the final batter of the ninth inning when Logan Vogel took over to record the final out. Erickson faced early trouble in the seventh inning, but dialed things in as the appearance went on. Vogel faced one batter that would go on to ground out.

The defense showed up in support of Seeley, making crucial plays including a lunging grab in left field by Jared Marson to end the top of the first with a pair of runners on base, a double play in the second and a standing ovation-worthy diving play in the right-center field gap by Boelter to limit the damage to three runs in the fourth.

Peterson said the defense was strong for most of the game, but there were a few spots that positioning errors cost the team.

Looking ahead, the Bombers hit the road for a game at 7 p.m. Saturday in Spring Valley and 1 p.m. Sunday in Hudson. To bounce-back, Peterson said the Bombers will need to find the timely hitting the Millers found.