The River City Rascals put five runs on the board in the fourth inning en route to an 8-5 win over the Windy City ThunderBolts.
The ThunderBolts got on right away in the first inning as Gilberto Mejia started things off with a bunt single, extending his hitting streak to 20 games. After a stolen base and an error moved Mejia to third, on a snap throw to third base, Rascals catcher Joe Billick sailed the ball into left field, scoring Mejia and giving WC a 1-0 lead. The Bolts tacked on a couple more in the third as with runners on second and third and one out, Zach Aakhus worked the count full before delivering his first professional homerun hooking around the left field foul pole for a 4-0 ThunderBolts lead.
River City would get a couple of runs back in the top of the third inning on a couple of RBI groundouts. The Rascals opened things up with a five-run fourth inning on the benefit of just three hits as a trio of walks, a hit batsman and an error worked against Windy City.
After that the pitchers took over as neither team would score again before the Bolts put up a run in the bottom of the eighth, countered by a top of the ninth run by River City for the 8-5 final.
Jake Laber (4-1) picked up the win for River City going 6.1 innings allowing four runs. Jason Lowey allowed two hits in the ninth, but started a big double play to record his fifth save of the season.
Windy City will continue their homestand on Tuesday with the first 1,000 fansin the ballpark receiving a special Back-to-Back champions foam finger courtesy of A. J. Smith Federal Savings Bank. Dustin Pease (3-1, 4.19) will make the first start for the ThunderBolts against Daniel Howard (1-1, 6.86) for the Rascals. For information or tickets, call 708-489-BALL stop by the Standard Bank Stadium ticket office or go to the team’s website at www.wcthunderbolts.com.
