By: Braeden Jones
CRESTWOOD, IL – The Joliet Slammers (32-50) started the game off hot but fizzled out just enough to allow the Windy City ThunderBolts (42-40) to complete the comeback victory and win 10-9 on Friday.
The Slammers would start off with the lead through a big top of the 2nd inning. Peyton Carr and Jackson Beaman would lead it off with some singles, and a walk on Colten Vincent would load the bases early. Kadon Morton would then step up to the plate and make it on base with a fielder’s choice single where a throwing error allowed Carr to score. Ian Battipaglia would bring another runner home as an RBI sacrifice fly out scored Beaman. Blake Berry would immediately double the score with a 2-RBI single to score Vincent and Morton. That started Joliet in the lead at 4-0.
The Slammers would add another runner to the tally in the top of the 3rd. Vincent would get his first hit as a Slammer in a single, and a fielder’s choice single for Morton would push Vincent to third base. Battipaglia would be the one to score Vincent with an RBI single, now pushing Joliet’s lead to 5-0.
The ThunderBolts would snag that one run away in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Josue Urdaneta would lead off this half-inning with a single, and a walk on Liam McArthur advanced Urdaneta a bit farther. Justin Fogel would reach first base on an error to push Urdaneta to third base, and a walk on Carlos Pena brought Urdaneta home. Windy City still had a bit of work to do, but they had gotten their first runner to move the score to 5-1.
The ThunderBolts would sneak in a pair of runs in the bottom of the 4th to follow up their first score. A single for Daryl Ruiz, a hit by pitch on Tony Livermore, and a walk on Urdaneta would load the bases for Windy City to set up two straight fielder’s choice singles that scored runners. McArthur had the first to score Ruiz, and Michael Sandle had the second to score Livermore. That brought the score to 5-3.
The Slammers would get all those runs back and more in the top of the 5th inning. Beaman and Morton would get on base with a pair of walks before Battipaglia was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs. Olivier Basabe would make the ThunderBolts pay for that decision as he delivered a 2-RBI single to score Beaman and Morton to keep this half-inning rolling. Berry would do the same with a 2-RBI double that scored Battipaglia and Basabe. Joliet left the top of the 5th with a bigger lead than before, now with a 9-3 advantage.
The ThunderBolts would promptly put this game back in contention in the bottom of the 5th inning. Pena would get on base with a fielder’s choice single, and a single for Victor Cerny got him on base as well. Ruiz would be walked to load the bases which set up a strong hit for Livermore. He hit an RBI single to score Pena that also scored Cerny due to a throwing error. Urdaneta had a similar story, as an errant throw not only allowed him to reach second base, but would score Ruiz and Livermore as well. Sandle snuck in an appearance to score Urdaneta off a sacrifice fly out, getting the score to 9-8.
For the second half of this game, a relief pitcher duel made it seem like nobody would score. But the Thunderbolts found some more life in the bottom of the 8th inning. Sandle would return to the plate and be hit by a pitch, and an off-target pickoff throw let him rush to third base to act as the tying run. Jared Beebe was able to knock down an RBI double to score Sandle and deliver the first tie in this game since 0-0. Cerny would lay down an RBI single shortly after to score Beebe, giving Windy City their first lead of this game at 10-9.
That would be the end of the scoring for the game, meaning the ThunderBolts had come back just in time to take home the 10-9 victory.
After losing a big lead at just the wrong time, the Slammers will look to rebound on Saturday in the second game of the series against the ThunderBolts. After completing a big comeback victory, Windy City will try to win the series in two games on Saturday against Joliet.
