CRESTWOOD, IL – The Joliet Slammers scored four runs over the final four innings to erase the ThunderBolts’ 3-0 lead and beat the Bolts 4-3 in the season finale at Ozinga Field Saturday night.
Logan Wiley and Logan Lyle tangled in a pitchers’ duel over the first four innings with neither starting hurler allowing a run.
In the fifth, the ThunderBolts (43-53) were the first to break the stalemate. Dan Robinson doubled and Jack Strunc singled, putting two on in front of Payton Robertson, who launched his fifth home run of the season to make the score 3-0.
Wiley continued his shutout into the sixth, when Joliet (39-56) got doubles from Lane Baremore and Luke Mangieri to move within two. They inched closer in the seventh, when Tyler Depreta-Johnson singled and scored on a passed ball. The Slammers went on to load the bases with two outs but Wiley pitched out of the jam, preserving the one-run lead.
With the score at 3-2 in the top of the eighth, Carson Maxwell drew a leadoff walk. Luke Mangieri worked the count full before hitting a two-run homer that put the Slammers on top for the first time.
Rob Weissheier hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning and made it as far as third base but was stranded there and the ThunderBolts did not threaten in the ninth.
Kaleb Honea (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the win and Wiley (6-4) took the loss, allowing three earned runs in seven-plus innings. Trevor Charpie pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save.
The loss drops the ThunderBolts to 43-53 to end the season, a one game improvement from their 2019 campaign. The Bolts will return to Frontier League action in May of 2020. All information regarding the team during the offseason, including the release of the 2020 schedule can be found at wcthunderbolts.com.
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