By: Ryan Paris
JOLIET, IL – When the Slammers switch up the threads, good things follow.
Between the multicolored polka dots of Disco Night, the navy blue sleeves of the Jackhammers throwback, the orange flowers of Hispanic Heritage, the neon green slime of Ghostbusters, and the muted reds, whites, and blues of the Fourth of July jerseys, the Slammers have a 6-1 record when donning alternate uniforms.
For Swiftie Night against the New Jersey Jackals (22-46), the Slammers (34-36) broke out uniforms with a whimsical pink, orange, and blue gradient inspired by Swift’s Lover album cover.
And the winning, of course, followed. A 4-2 ballgame extended the Jailbirds’ winning streak to five.
The offense struck early, piling up all four runs in the first four innings. An Ian Battipaglia sacrifice fly gave the Slammers the lead in the second. A Sal Carricato double in third gave the team some insurance. A Jose Contreras sacrifice fly in the fourth continued his personal RBI streak
On the mound, Gunnar Kines bounced back from a rough outing in Schaumburg last weekend to throw one of his best games of the season. Through six innings, he had faced the minimum.
It wasn’t quite the perfect game bid like he had through six back on May 22nd, but the one hit was instantly taken off the board when Antonio Valdez, Braylin Marine, and Bryant Flete turned a double play.
“Definitely getting ahead and mixing pitches, mostly getting ahead of all the hitters helped a lot,” Kines said.
Across eight innings of work, he allowed three hits, two unearned runs, and fanned eight New Jersey batters.
“We know what we have to do to make the playoffs. Just win a lot of our games,” he added.
The Slammers are 4.5 games back of the playoffs to start the final month, but if things continue to look like how they did tonight, the dream isn’t out of the question.
Tomorrow Joliet hopes to extend the winning streak to six and win the series against the Jackals. First pitch is at 6:05 pm.
For information on season tickets, premium suites or group outings, please visit the Slammers’ official website at www.jolietslammers.com.
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The Joliet Slammers play in downtown Joliet, Illinois, and are members of the professional, independent Frontier League. The Frontier League is the largest MLB Partner League with 16 teams spanning from the Mississippi River to the East Coast. Visit the Slammers online atwww.jolietslammers.com or call the ticket office at 815-722-2287 for more information! Don’t forget to “Like” the Slammers on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/jolietslammers, follow them on Instagram at @jolietslammersofficial or follow them on Twitter at @jolietslammers!
This game recap was written by Ryan Paris.
