ROCKFORD, IL – Kevin Smith hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning Tuesday afternoon giving the Rockford RiverHawks a 3-0 lead. The ThunderBolts could not recover from the deficit and fell 3-2 at Road Ranger Stadium in the series finale.
The RiverHawks started the scoring in the first inning. Freddy Parejo led off with a single and scored with one out on a Jake Eigsti RBI single. It was the fifth straight game in which the ThunderBolts saw their opponent score first.
The score was 1-0 into the fourth. With one out in that inning, Evan Button hit an infield single and Kevin Smith followed him with a home run to right field, making it 3-0.
The ThunderBolts did not have a hit until the fourth and two of their first three base runners were picked off, but the Bolts got on the board in the sixth. Quentin Luquette led off with a single and Brandon Anderson’s bunt single put two on. Mike Torres’ sacrifice fly cut the Rockford lead to 3-1.
They chipped away again in the seventh, getting a run on a Larry Pempek two-out RBI single. He scored Chris Wade who had singled earlier in the inning.
That was all they would get though, despite some late chances. Brandon Anderson made it to third base in the eighth but was stranded there and Nick Kuroczko singled in the ninth but ended the inning at second.
Brett Scarpetta picked up the win for Rockford going 6.2 innings and allowing both runs (5-3) while Bryant Cotton pitched well outside of the home run but fell to 5-5 on the loss. Brett Durand pitched the final 1.1 innings for his 12th save.
Windy City returns home on Wednesday to face the Traverse City Beach Bums in another three-game series. It’s $1.00 Wednesday at Standard Bank Stadium, so hot dogs and soda are just $1.00 all game. John Mincone (1-2) will get the start for the Bolts and he’ll be opposed by Bryan Banes (7-1). The game starts at 7:05 CDT and can be heard on SportsJuice.com.
