FL Joliet Slammers

Slammers Walk off on Freedom in the 10th

Published on July 16, 2016 under Frontier League (FL)
Joliet Slammers News Release


JOLIET, IL- The Slammers trailed 4-2 heading to the bottom of the ninth, but back-to-back triples from Melvin Rodriguez and Phil Bates started their rally to tie it and eventually win the game in the 10th inning 5-4 over the Florence Freedom, July 16.

Rodriguez led off the ninth inning with a triple, and he was the hero in the 10th inning as well. The Slammers loaded the bases for Rodriguez, and he hit a deep sac fly to right field to score Carter Bell who led off the inning with a walk.

Bates drove in Melvin on his triple, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Alfredo Rodriguez.

Melvin struggled to start the game, striking out in his first two at bats, but he came through when the Slammers needed him most.

"I'm feeling great," Melvin said. "My day started with two K's, but I bounced back, hit a triple in the ninth, we needed that. I was looking for a pitch to hit in the air (in the 10th) to get that run."

Coach Jeff Isom told Melvin he was slowing down, so he went to the cage to work on it and he finally got it, he said.

Silver Cross Field was up for grabs in the ninth and the 10th after a slow moving game for the first eight innings for the Slammers.

Rodriguez's triple in the ninth inning put a new life into the Slammers, and proved what Carter Bell said true: "They never stop coming."

"It's unbelievable," Melvin said. "Our team is so good, our (chemistry) is good, we just never give up."

Melvin's heroics in the ninth and the 10th earned him Saturday's Merchants and Manufacturers Player of the Game.

After scoring 16 runs Friday night, the start the Slammers got off to was not a surprise. Marc Flores hit a first-inning home run to give the Slammers the lead, but they would struggled to score again until the seventh, where Charlie White cut it to a one-run game on a sac fly.

Already leading 3-2 heading into the ninth, the Freedom added one more run to give them their two-run lead off a home run by Josh Henderson. Henderson's home run was his only hit of the game.

Liam O'Sullivan had no problem pitching with a lead Friday as the Slammers gave him a seven run lead with him in the game. Sean Townsley was not as lucky Saturday night, but allowing just three runs in in six innings kept the Slammers in the game.

Florence scored three times in the third inning off just two hits. Travis Weaver was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Garrett Vail drove him in. The Freedom would load the bases and get back-to-back sacrifice flies to take a 3-0 lead.

The Slammers lost five games in a row heading into the All-Star break, but have won back-to-back games over the Freedom and will go for the sweep Sunday at 1:05

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Frontier League Stories from July 16, 2016


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