FL Joliet Slammers

Slammers Lose a Heartbreaker 5-4 in 11 Innings on Friday

Published on July 4, 2014 under Frontier League (FL)
Joliet Slammers News Release


The Joliet Slammers-Presented by ATI Physical Therapy-let a late lead get away and lost to Evansville 5-4 in 11 innings on Friday night at Silver Cross Field.

The first runs of the day came in the 3rd inning. In the top of the 3rd, Evansville tallied against Slammers starter Andrew Busby. John Schultz hit a one-out triple and scored on a single from Josh Allen. The Otters would then load the bases but Chris Sweeney hit into a double play to end the inning. In the bottom of the 3rd, Seth Granger doubled, Max Casper walked and Chris Epps then crushed a 3-run homer to right for a 3-1 Joliet lead. That made Epps 6 for his first 9 to start the month of July.

The score remained 3-1 all the way into the 9th inning. Busby was outstanding on the day, going 8 innings and allowing just that one run on 7 hits. He struck out 6 and walked just one and at one point retired 14 straight. Brett Zawacki came on to start the 9th inning and retired the leadoff man. That meant he had gone 20 straight innings without allowing a run. Zawacki then ran into trouble giving up back-to-back singles to Nik Balog and Sweeney. Chris Elder then singled in a run to make the score 3-2. Pinch hitter Jeremy Nowak then ripped a 2-run double to give the Otters a 4-3 lead.

In the bottom of the 9th, Max Casper reached base on a dropped-third-strike to start the inning. He advanced on a passed ball and with two outs, Grant DeBruin drove Casper in with a single to tie the game at 4-4. It was DeBruin's 4th hit of the game. Zawacki settled in and pitched a scoreless 10th and retired the 1st two batters of the 11th before surrendering a solo homer to Elder to give Evansville a 5-4 lead. Jose Velez came on a to earn the save for the Otters in the bottom of the 11th to send Joliet home with a very tough loss.

The Slammers continue the 4th of July Weekend festivities with the 6:05pm start time Saturday night. There will be another patriotice fireworks display following the game and then The Righteous Hillbillies will perform a free concert in the Beer Garden. Saturday will also be Police and Fire Night, as any member of area Police or Fire Departments will get in free with valid ID. Sunday the 6th will be a Bark in the Park day starting at 1:05pm, so bring your puppy to the ballpark. Slammers action this summer will be broadcast live on 1340 WJOL and wjol.com and the audio/video feed of home games this season can be seen at independentprofessionalbaseball.com.

The Joliet Slammers presented by ATI Physical Therapy play at Silver Cross Field in downtown Joliet, Illinois, and are members of the professional, independent Frontier League. The Frontier League is a 14-team league entering its 22nd season of play in 2014. Full, partial, and group tickets are available by calling the Slammers office at (815) 722-BATS or by visiting www.jolietslammers.com.

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Frontier League Stories from July 4, 2014


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