In third straight wild one, Bolts beat Slammers in ten innings
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JOLIET, IL – One day after dropping a 20-19 decision, the ThunderBolts bounced back to win a similarly crazy game, taking the series opener from the Joliet Slammers 19-18 in ten innings.
The Bolts (12-13) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first on four walks, an error and a single, but Joliet (8-16) responded in the bottom of the frame. Blake Berry hit a two-run double to make it 4-2.
Daryl Ruiz’s two-run homer highlighted a five-run second inning for Windy City. Justin Fogel also picked up an RBI single, his first of five hits in his ThunderBolts debut.
Berry hit a three-run homer in the bottom of that frame, giving him five RBIs in the first two innings as the game continued to go back and forth.
The Bolts appeared to take control in the middle innings, building their lead to 16-7. Fogel hit a two-run double in the third inning and Josue Urdaneta, on the first of his three hits, brought home two runs in the fourth.
But Joliet continued to chip away. They scored a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and three each in the sixth and seventh.
A Ruiz RBI single, one of his four runs batted in, in the eighth inning put the Bolts ahead 18-15 before Joliet got one back in the bottom half and sent the game to the ninth inning down by one. With one out in the ninth, Cam Suto doubled and Jackson Beaman hit a two-run homer to force extra innings.
In the top of the tenth, the Bolts brought home their tiebreaker runner on a wild pitch to make the score 19-18 and Justin Lovell closed out the win by striking out the last two Joliet hitters.
Carter Delaney (3-0) was credited with the win, Greyson Linderman (0-5) took the loss and Lovell picked up his first save.
The Bolts will try to win the series on Saturday night with Tyler Wehrle (1-1, 5.14) on the mound. Joliet counters with Gunnar Kines (2-1, 5.00). Game two of the series from Slammers Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 CDT and the broadcast details can be found at wcthunderbolts.com
