CRESTWOOD, IL – Mike Recchia struck out 15 Gateway Grizzlies, but the Grizzlies hit three home run on their way to a 7-4 victory at Standard Bank Stadium Tuesday night. The loss drops the Bolts into a first-place tie with Gateway.
Windy City got off to a great start, as Recchia struck out the first six batters he faced. Offensively, he was helped in the first. Mike Torres singled and scored on Chad Cregar’s double. Ryan Cuneo doubled to bring Cregar home, giving the ThunderBolts a 2-0 lead.
Gateway took over in the third. Richie Jimenez hit an RBI double to score John Shelby and Jimenez scored on Jonathan Johnson’s single. Rogelio Noris’s two-run homer made it 4-2.
They added a run in the fifth on a Landon Hernandez solo home run.
Windy City scored two in the fifth to tighten the score. C.J. Gillman doubled and later crossed the plate on a Travis Weaver bunt. Bob Glover walked and Chris Wade’s single knocked him in. The Bolts had runners at first and second with one out, but couldn’t get anything more as Torres was thrown out trying to score from second on a passed ball and Cregar struck out. The Bolts did not threaten again.
Gateway scored their final runs on a Jon Myers home run and an Alex Guthrie RBI single in the sixth.
Philip Reamy (5-2) pitched 2.1 shutout innings of relief for the win and Recchia (11-3) gave up all seven runs in the loss. His 15 strikeouts gave him 156 for the season, one shy of the Frontier League record.
The ThunderBolts and Grizzlies are now tied for first place and will continue their series Wednesday night at 7:05. Paul Tremlin (5-3, 4.04) will start for Gateway. The ThunderBolts have not yet named a starter. The first 250 fans through the Standard Bank Stadium gates will receive a Boomer Gnome Bank courtesy of First Midwest Bank. The game broadcast can be heard on WXAV, 88.3 fm and wxav.com.
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