By: Ryan Paris
JOLIET, IL – Down to his final strike, the lefty connected on a pitch with a swing so pure that you would think if you gave a toddler that same bat and swing path, they too could replicate his ensuing no doubter home run.
With one swing, former Boston Red Sox second round draft pick Cole Brannen gave Gateway (40-21) a chance to force extra innings against Joliet (29-33), as the Grizzlies looked to stay perfect vs the Slammers this season.
But in order to have the late game heroics, it took a lot to get to that point. There was a 90 minute rain delay, a new face in the Slammer lineup, a pitching gem on the mound, and some more baserunning blunders that continue to haunt Joliet.
First off, the rain. The field looked absolutely unplayable two hours before first pitch. It looked slightly better at the scheduled start time, but still not up to standard. Things finally got going at 8:00 p.m.
Now about that new guy. Bryant Flete has played in many, many places.
From Boise to Tennessee to South Bend to Myrtle Beach. In Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Birmingham. At Chattanooga and Daytona. A stint in the Frontier League with Southern Illinois and Florence. Abroad in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.
He was once a part of the trade that sent Jose Quintana to the Cubs and netted the White Sox Dylan Cease and Eloy Jimenez in return. He’s played 12 years of baseball all over the Americas, and now he’s back in Illinois with the Joliet Slammers.
If there was ever a time to get a new face in the lineup, it was now. July has not been kind to the Slammers, and facing a Grizzlies team that they had yet to beat on the season called for a change.
But in times of need, it’s usually the pitching that takes center stage. Tonight was no different.
Ryan Daly was brilliant in his fourth start for the Slammers, going six strong, allowing four hits, and whiffing five Grizzlies. Although the Slammers offense only provided him with one run of support via a Jose Contreras single, he kept Gateway at bay and turned the game over to the bullpen with a 1-0 lead still intact.
Gateway’s fourth ranked offense finally broke through in the top of the seventh inning. Brannen doubled, moved to third on an error, and came around to score on a groundout.
The Slammers didn’t wait long to get the run back. Blake Berry led off the seventh with a base hit and worked his way around the bases, coming home on an errant throw from Gateway shortstop Abdiel Diaz.
And Joliet seemed positioned to give themselves some much needed insurance runs in the eighth with Braylin Marine and Jose Contrereas in scoring position and nobody out. Then, Gateway reliever Alvery De Los Santos got a strikeout and induced a shallow fly ball to Edwin Mateo in foul territory. Marine took off and was tagged out as he slid into home, giving Slammers fans flashbacks of Tuesday night’s heartbreaking ending.
Into the ninth inning the Slammers still led 2-1, and shutdown closer Greyson Linderman easily got the first two outs. Up stepped Cole Brannen.
As soon as he made contact, he knew it was 50 feet beyond the right field fence. The entire Grizzlies dugout came onto the field to greet him like it was the college world series. By contrast, the Slammers dugout sat in stunned silence.
And then came the tenth inning.
Gateway couldn’t be contained any longer. Three hits, two errors, a walk, and a sacrifice fly later, the Grizzlies were up 7-2. The same score as yesterday’s game. The same score if you average all the games in the season series.
And fittingly, that’s where it ended.
An “everybody inside” was all that was said in the Joliet dugout as Gateway turned a fielder’s choice to end the game. The Slammers disappeared into the locker room just as fast as the game had gotten away from them.
Tomorrow Joliet opens a series against the Schaumburg Boomers. They’ll be back at Slammers stadium on Friday, August 1st, when they host the New Jersey Jackals.
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.
