CornBelters Lose 3rd Straight Game as Grizzlies Hit 3 Home Runs
August 26, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Normal CornBelters News Release
SAUGET, Ill. - The Normal CornBelters, presented by Illinois Corn Farmers, gave up long balls in the middle innings and lost their third straight game, 8-5 to the Gateway Grizzlies on Wednesday night at GCS Ballpark.
The CornBelters opened the scoring with the first two hitters of the second inning, a lead-off double by Richard Lucas and a two-run homer just over the right field fence by Sam Judah.
Santiago Chirino extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a first-inning single and led off the third frame with a triple, scoring on a two-out single up the middle by Lucas for a 3-0 lead.
Belters starter Kevin Johnson retired 14 straight batters after giving up a lead-off single in the first inning, but four straight Grizzlies reached base in the fifth as Ryan Johns delivered a two-run double to the left field wall to cut the Normal lead to 3-2. Ben Waldrip planted a two-run homer onto the right center field berm in the fifth for a 4-3 Grizzlies lead and the end of the night for Johnson.
The Grizzlies continued the onslaught in the seventh inning with a pair of two-run homers, a line drive to left by Craig Massoni and a towering bomb to left by Blake Brown, to increase their advantage to 8-3.
Ross Spurgeon (2-0) earned the win in relief while Johnson (7-5) took the loss.
The Belters' magic number to clinch a playoff spot dropped to one after Florence lost the nightcap of a doubleheader, meaning the next Florence loss or Normal win will earn the Belters a post-season slot. The CornBelters' lead in the Frontier League West Division dropped to three games with a River City Rascals win. The Belters fall to 52-34 while the Grizzlies improve to 37-48 and 6-2 this season over Normal.
The CornBelters conclude the series on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. as Mike Schweiss (7-7, 3.43 ERA) starts on the mound for Normal and Dakota Smith (2-2, 3.53) takes the ball for Gateway in a match-up of right-handers. The broadcast on WEZC-FM 95.9 and WJBC.com begins at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday from GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. with listen links found on Facebook, Twitter (@normal_baseball) and www.normalbaseball.com.
THE NIBLET: The CornBelters return home for the final six games of the regular season starting Tuesday! For tickets or for more information, please contact the CornBelters today at (309) 454-2255 (BALL) or stop by The Mid-Illini Credit Union Box Office at The Corn Crib during normal business hours.
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Frontier League Stories from August 26, 2015
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