Big Fifth Inning Guides Bolts to Big Win
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PEARL, MS – The ThunderBolts scored six runs in the fifth inning to beat the Mississippi Mud Monsters 7-4 and move into a tie for the Frontier League’s final playoff spot at Trustmark Park Sunday night.
The Mud Monsters (37-58) took an early multi-run lead, putting three runs on the board in the third inning. Karell Paz and Victor Diaz hit back-to-back home runs and Kyle Booker hit an RBI single to make it 3-0.
The Bolts (52-44) weren’t able to respond until the fifth. They began that inning with three straight singles from Tony Livermore, Josue Urdaneta and Liam McArthur, loading the bases. Michael Sandle got the Bolts on the board with an RBI walk. Then Justin Fogel hit a sacrifice fly. After the bases were reloaded on a hit by pitch, Carlos Pena hit a flyout to the center field wall that scored Michael Sandle all the way from second base, making it a two-run sacrifice fly and giving the Bolts a 4-3 lead. A two-run single for Livermore later in the inning made it 6-3.
They added another run in the seventh on three more singles. Michael Sandle knocked in Daryl Ruiz to extend the lead to four.
Mississippi brought home one more run in the bottom of the seventh, getting runners on with a hit and a walk. A sacrifice fly made it 7-4, but they weren’t able to edge any closer.
Tyler Wehrle (7-3) picked up the win with seven innings, allowing four runs. Jackson Smith (4-5) pitched four shutout innings before allowing six runs in the fifth to take the loss. Carter Delaney picked up his ninth save with a scoreless ninth.
The ThunderBolts return home on Tuesday for their final home series of the regular season. The Lake Erie Crushers are in town for three games, starting with $2 Tuesday at Ozinga Field. On the field, Isaac Milburn (5-3, 4.95) starts for the Bolts against Lake Erie’s Alex Garbrick (0-6, 8.16). First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 CDT and broadcast details can be found at wcthunderbolts.com.
