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Joliet Slammers

Slammers Score Late to Beat Crushers

June 26, 2016 - Frontier League (FL)
Joliet Slammers News Release


Joliet, IL - Kaleb Ort was pitcher of the week last week in the Frontier League and he made a case to win the award again after his performance Sunday, June 26 against the Lake Erie Crushers. The Joliet Slammers presented by ATI Physical Therapy won 3-2.

In his last time out, Ort pitched six scoreless innings and struck out nine batters. He followed that up with 13 strikeouts, seven innings, and just two runs allowed.

Ort received the no decision in Sunday's game as he left with the game tied at two, but he has proven to be one of the Slammers' most effective pitchers.

"I've just done a lot of work with Isom, off speed stuff, keeping people off balance and pound the strike zone," Ort said.

Although the Slammers did not put up the amount of runs they have been in the previous games at Silver Cross Field, Ort's dominating pitching performance gave the Slammers a chance to win without scoring a lot of runs.

Ort's 13 strikeouts Sunday after earning pitcher of the week gives him a little extra motivation moving forward, he said.

"Seeing something like that is a big accomplishment," Ort said. "Without everybody here though, everybody pushes everyone everyday. It's cool to show up to the field."

The Slammers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning after scoring in the first and second, but that is all they would give Ort until the scored in the eighth inning off a sacrifice fly by Carter Bell. Bell drove in two runs in the game including the first run of the game off another sacrifice fly to score Charlie White.

Bell came up clutch for the Slammers in the eighth inning with one out and runners on first and second.

Charlie White led off the eighth inning with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With White on third, and how much Boo Vazquez has hurt the Crushers' pitching staff, Vazquez was intentionally walked to give the Crushers a chance to get an inning-ending double play.

The Crushers scored their runs off a solo home run by Scott Carcaise. They scored their first run off an RBI single by Bryan De La Rosa, scoring Eric Grabe who tripled in front of him.

With first place on the line, the Slammers came out looking like a team that deserves to be atop the division.

The Slammers were .5 games behind the Thunderbolts coming in to Sunday's contest, and with the win the Slammers can move into first place if Windy City loses to the Traverse City Beach Bums June 26.

Sunday's Merchants and Manufacturer's Bank Player of the Game was Kaleb Ort for his performance on the mound.

Joliet will have an off day Monday, June 27 before heading to River City to take on the Rascals on Tuesday, June 28.

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Frontier League Stories from June 26, 2016


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