FL Normal CornBelters

CornBelters Earn Split to Take Series at Windy City

Published on July 3, 2014 under Frontier League (FL)
Normal CornBelters News Release


Normal, Ill. - The Normal CornBelters, presented by Illinois Corn Farmers, lost the resumption of a suspended game 6-2 to end a five-game winning streak, but took the rubber game of the series in the nightcap with a 7-4 win over the Windy City ThunderBolts on Thursday night at Standard Bank Stadium.

With the ThunderBolts leading 1-0 going to the bottom of the second inning as the previous night's suspended game resumed, Davidson Peguero led off with a single, went to second on a fielder's choice and scored on two-out base hit by Max White that snuck through the left side. White stole second and came home on a Mike Torres single through the right side to give the Bolts a 3-0 lead.

The CornBelters scored in the fourth inning when Aaron Dudley led off with a single, went to third on a Pat McKenna base hit and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Richard Lucas to cut the deficit to 4-1.

The Bolts increased their advantage to 5-1 in the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Kyle Robinson. The Belters answered in the fifth when Dylan Kelly scored on a wild pitch.

Jason Kafka (1-1) earned the win in relief while Cullen Babin (4-2) suffered his first loss as a starter.

In the nightcap, the Belters struck right away before the game's first out by loading the bases with a single by Jhiomar Veras, a walk to Santiago Chrino and a pitch that hit Mike Schwartz. Sam Judah and Aaron Dudley each drove in a run with singles followed by an RBI fielder's choice by Pat McKenna and Judah scoring on a wild pitch to give the Belters a 4-0 advantage.

The ThunderBolts scored in the second inning when Ryan Soares hit a lead-off double and scored on a single up the middle by Peguero to cut the deficit to 4-1. The hosts cut the margin to 4-3 in the fourth inning with a two-out rally beginning with a walk to White, a single by Mike McGuckin and a bases-clearing triple by Evan Button. A wild pitch scored Button to bring the contest even at 4-4.

The Belters scored three times in the fifth inning to take a 7-4 lead. Pinch hitter Roman Hernandez reached on a fielder's choice and Pat McKenna was hit by a pitch, and they advanced to second and third on a ground out. Ozney Guillen singled in Hernandez with McKenna scoring on a throw on the play, and Tyler Shover roped a base hit to right to plate Guillen.

Jason Postill (3-0) earned the win in relief while Alan Oaks pitched the final frame for his seventh save. Daniel Cropper (2-6) took the loss. The CornBelters have won seven straight series played to their completion.

The road trip continues with a weekend series at Schaumburg on Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. All games can be heard through the Listen Live link at www.normalbaseball.com . The Belters will send rookie right-hander Chris Carmain (0-0, 1.80 ERA) to the mound while the Boomers will counter with righty Eddie Cody (0-0, 0.00). The Belters next return to the Corn Crib on Tuesday to begin a four-game, three-day series with the Joliet Slammers starting with a 6 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Frontier League Stories from July 3, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central