By: Braeden Jones
SAUGET, IL – In a game that could not be decided in the normal nine innings, the Joliet Slammers (31-45) would score big in extras to beat the Gateway Grizzlies (35-41) on Friday with a 5-2 final.
The Grizzlies would be the first to strike when they got their first opportunity to hit in the bottom of the 1st inning. As just the second batter of the day for Gateway, Abdiel Diaz came up to the plate and hit a solo home run out to right field. That started this game off with a bang as the home team led at a 1-0 score.
The Grizzlies would score in their next time up in the bottom of the 2nd. After singles on Victor Castillo and Jose Cordoba alongside a walk on Sawyer Smith would load the bases, Cole Brannen would hit a deep fly ball for an out that allowed Castillo to score from third base. That moved the score to 2-0 in favor of Gateway.
The Slammers would come roaring back in the top of the 3rd inning. Ivan Dahlberg would be walked to start things off, and Kadon Morton’s double to follow would be Joliet’s first hit of the day. The Slammers’ second hit of the game came quickly with an Ian Battipaglia 2-RBI double to score Dahlberg and Morton. That would knot this game up at 2-2.
The next six innings of this game brought opportunities for both sides, but no scores. That meant that this game had to be decided in extra innings.
The Slammers took their newfound opportunity to score a trio of runners in the top of the 10th inning. Patrick Ward would start this half-inning off as the Joliet representative at second base. He would have an easy time coming home as two wild pitches in three throws would let Ward jog to home plate. The player at the plate when those wild pitches were thrown was Jackson Valera, and he would be walked shortly after Ward scored. Chris Davis would pinch run for Valera, and an RBI double from Peyton Carr brought Davis in to score all the way from first base. That was nearly all the scoring the Slammers had until Tyler Cerny put a ball in play with two outs. Carr came around to score, but Cerny would be caught stretching for second base right after. However, since Carr scored before the third out came, the run would just barely count. It took seven innings to do it, but Joliet had finally scored again and had taken their first lead at 5-2.
That was the final scoring run of this game, meaning the Slammers had scored right when they needed to most to win 5-2.
With an exciting victory around their belt, Joliet will get some much deserved rest before returning to play Gateway on Saturday. After they could not pull off the walkoff victory at home, the Grizzlies will look to even the series against the Slammers on Saturday.
