CRESTWOOD, IL – Travis Tingle threw his first career nine-inning complete game, but it wasn’t enough for the ThunderBolts as they lost their sixth straight game, 1-0 to the Southern Illinois Miners at Standard Bank Stadium Wednesday afternoon.
Tingle ran into some early trouble as the Miners (7-4) got a pair of hits to put runners at the corners in the first inning with one out. But a strikeout and a groundout got him out of that jam.
Neither team would get another runner past first base again until the fifth, when Southern Illinois’s Steven Marino hit a one-out single. Sako Chapjian followed with a base hit, putting men at first and third. Toby DeMello singled to drive in Marino to make the score 1-0. Chapjian and DeMello were each thrown out on the play trying to advance to third and second respectively, but the run counted and would prove to be enough for the Miners.
Through seven innings, the ThunderBolts (3-7) had only four baserunners and three of them had been caught in stealing. They mounted their first threat in the eighth. Jacob Tanis singled but Marquis Riley grounded into a fielder’s choice trying to bunt him ahead. Riley was picked off of first base for the second out. Max White and Ransom LaLonde drew two out walks, but Adam Lopez got Ryan Deitrich to groundout to end the scare.
Lopez (3-0) allowed only four hits over eight innings and earned his third straight win, lowering his ERA to 0.41. Tingle fell to 0-3 despite striking out seven, walking none and dropping his ERA to 2.11.
The ThunderBolts will try to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Miners on Thursday night. Jake Fisher (1-1, 2.34) will make his third start for Windy City against Southern Illinois’s Miguel Ramirez (0-2, 5.91). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 on the first Wrestling Day at Standard Bank Stadium. WWE Hall of Famer "Road Warrior" Animal will be in attendance and Blitz Pro Wrestling will produce a postgame show. The broadcast can be heard at wcthunderbolts.com.
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