JOLIET, IL – Plate discipline and steady pitching lifted the Joliet Slammers (2-0) to a blowout 7-1 victory over the Schaumburg Boomers (1-2) on a brisk Saturday evening at Slammers Stadium.
Joliet’s Gunnar Kines and Schaumburg’s Derek Salata traded scoreless innings to keep things quiet in the early going. However, the Boomers struck first in the third inning on an RBI single from Anthony Calarco, but Kines escaped further damage by forcing a Kyle Fitzgerald groundout to end the frame.
It was all Slammers from that point on. Blake Berry knotted things up at one with a sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the third. Nick Iannantone followed up that effort with an RBI single through the right side to give Joliet a 2-1 lead.
Speaking of Iannantone, he added more insurance in the bottom of the sixth with another RBI to extend the lead to 3-1. But the bats weren’t done. Liam McArthur tacked on an RBI double to make it 4-1.
The jailbirds broke things open an inning later thanks to some wild pitching. Schaumburg reliever Eric Kozlowski walked three straight batters to load the bases, and Isaiah Rivera hit Chris Davis with a pitch to bring in another Joliet run. De La Cruz and McArthur each drew bases-loaded walks, stretching the lead to 7-1.
The Boomers applied pressure in the eighth, but a 6-4-3 double play ended the inning and crushed any momentum.
Joliet will go for the series sweep tomorrow, Sunday, May 11, on Mom’s Day at Slammers Stadium. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m.
For information on season tickets, premium suites or group outings, please visit the Slammers’ official website at www.jolietslammers.com.
