ThunderBolts stay hot, take series opener over Grizzlies
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CRESTWOOD, Ill. – The Windy City ThunderBolts won a fifth straight game Friday night, as they took the series opener against the Gateway Grizzlies 7-4 at Ozinga Field.
After Gateway (38-50) got on the board first with a run in the first inning, Windy City (47-41) responded in a big way in the bottom of the second.
Following a leadoff triple from Jared Beebe, Carlos Peña mashed his 15th home run of the season to give the ThunderBolts a 2-1 lead. Later in the inning, Victor Cerny singled in front of a Tony Livermore RBI triple to add to the Windy City advantage.
Michael Sandle then made it 4-1 ThunderBolts with a solo blast to leadoff the third inning before the Grizzlies got a run back in the top of the fourth.
A bottom of the fourth inning sacrifice fly from Liam McArthur briefly restored the Bolts’ three-run edge before the Grizzlies once again responded with a run of their own in the top of the fifth.
In the top of the seventh, Gateway cut the deficit to two. Then, in the bottom of the frame, a Peña sacrifice fly plated Justin Fogel from third to give Windy City a 7-4 lead that would hold throughout the remainder of the contest.
Windy City reliever Carsen Plumadore (4-1) collected the win after allowing just one run on one hit in 2.1 innings of work out of the bullpen. Gateway starter Matt Hickey (3-2) was tagged with the loss after he surrendered four runs in two complete innings. Carter Delaney notched his ninth save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning for the Bolts.
The ThunderBolts return to action Saturday for game two of the weekend series against the Grizzlies. Tyler Biddinger (5-2, 4.79) gets the start for Windy City. Blake Peyton (2-4, 5.94) is set to start for Gateway. The game will be followed by the final fireworks show of the year at Ozinga Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CDT and broadcast information is available at wcthunderbolts.com.
