By: Braeden Jones
CRESTWOOD, IL – The Joliet Slammers (33-50) lost a big lead to the Windy City ThunderBolts (42-40) yesterday but would avoid the same fate on Saturday as they pulled out the 12-6 victory.
The ThunderBolts would get the first scores on the board early in the bottom of the 1st inning. Liam McArthur would lead off this game for Windy City with a single and a stolen base to get himself in scoring position at second base. The position would not matter as it turned out once Jared Beebe stepped up to the plate. He would hit a 2-run homer over the left field wall to start the home team in the lead at 2-0.
The Slammers would quickly respond in the top of the 2nd inning. Peyton Carr would get Joliet’s first hit of the game in the form of a double to get in scoring position right away. That would prove useful as Olivier Basabe would follow up that hit with an RBI single to score Carr. Two walks on Jackson Beaman and Colten Vincent would then load the bases for Joliet. Ian Battipaglia would then arrive and deliver a fielder’s choice single to score Basabe. That tied this game up at 2-2.
The Slammers would take their first lead of the night when they were back up to bat in the top of the 3rd. Carr would get his second double of the game and walks on Basabe and Beaman would load the bases for Joliet once again. Vincent would then reach first base off a fielding error that also scored Carr, still leaving the bases loaded. The Slammers would take full advantage of it this time as Tyler Cerny would deliver a grand slam as his first home run of the season to clear the bases. That gave the Slammers a big lead at 7-2.
Joliet would sneak one more run in when the top of the 5th rolled around. After Patrick Ward was walked for his third time, this would be the first time he came home off an RBI double from Blake Berry. That nudged the score a bit to 8-2.
The ThunderBolts would start to respond in the bottom of the 6th inning. Beebe would hit a double to open up the half-inning that set up an RBI triple for Carlos Pena to score Beebe. Victor Cerny would get a sacrifice ground out to score Pena, moving the score to 8-4.
The Slammers would get those runs back and more in the top of the 7th. Cerny would be walked and Battipaglia would get a single alongside a stolen base to set up some baserunners for Joliet. Ward would score Cerny with a single, and Berry would have a sacrifice ground out to bring Battipaglia home. Ward would come home himself off another sacrifice ground out, this time from Carr. That pushed Joliet to double digits and brought the total score to 11-4.
The ThunderBolts would once again begin a response to the newly lost runs in the bottom of the 7th inning. Two hit by pitches on Michael Sandle and Justin Fogel and a single for Beebe would set up loaded bases with one out that brought about a few scoring plays for Windy City. Pena would deliver an RBI single to score Sandle and Cerny got his own RBI single to score Fogel. The bases would remain loaded, but a clutch double play would close up the action right then and there. The score would be left at 11-6.
The Slammers would add an insurance run in the top of the 9th. After Vincent was walked and found himself on third base after a few Joliet plays, a wild pitch let him trot home to bring the score to 12-6. This would end up being the final score, meaning the Slammers had won 12-6 to even up the series.
With a big win under their belt, Joliet will try to win the series finale on Sunday against Windy City. The ThunderBolts will try to rebound on Sunday to take the home series against the Slammers in their last matchup of the season.
