Vaughan, Procyshen and McSteen Shine in Slammers' 5-2 Win
September 5, 2020 - Frontier League (FL)
Joliet Slammers News Release
JOLIET, IL - The Joliet Slammers edged the Chicago Deep Dish 5-3 in Saturday night's City of Champions Cup matchup. Designated hitter Noah Vaughan and catcher Jordan Procyshen set the tone for the Slammers with huge performances offensively while Jake McSteen delivered a dazzling start on the mound to lead the Slammers to their 20th win of the season.
McSteen pitched seven brilliant innings for the Slammers en route to his City of Champions Cup-leading seventh win of the summer. The lefthander surrendered one earned run and one unearned run on six hits and no walks. McSteen struck out nine to match his season high.
Vaughan stayed red-hot at the plate for the Slammers despite an unfamiliar spot in the batting order. In the seventh inning, the leadoff man launched a missile over the right field wall for the second night in a row, bringing his City of Champions Cup-leading home run total to 10. In total, Vaughan was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored.
Procyshen also contributed an important hit in the Slammers win. In the fourth inning, the Slammers backstop laced a single into right field, plating two runs to give the Slammers a 2-1 lead. Procyshen was 1-for-2 with two walks and the pair of fourth-inning RBIs.
Center fielder Andrew Shaps' strong performance at the plate was critical in the Slammers' win, too. He was 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Shaps' RBI came in the fifth inning when he hammered a hard grounder off of the pitcher for an infield single, allowing designated hitter Noah Vaughan to score from third after hitting a single and stealing second.
Tyler Plantier pinch hit for Vaughan in the ninth inning and came through, scoring the final run of the contest for the Slammers. He cracked a double into left field to lead off the frame and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Slammers an insurance run.
Drew Peden took over on the bump after McSteen and earned the two-inning save. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning and allowed one run in the ninth.
Shortstop Justin Jones and left fielder Andre Nnebe each put together productive days at the plate despite the Deep Dish loss. In the second inning, Nnebe reached base on an infield single, and Jones followed with an RBI triple to the right field wall to bring him home and give the Deep Dish a brief 1-0 lead. Jones also doubled and scored in the ninth inning. In total, Jones was 3-for-4 at the dish and Nnebe was 2-for-4.
Catcher Eddie Haus and first baseman Marcus Mastrobuoni batted each batted in a run for the Deep Dish in the loss. Haus poked a perfectly placed double down the right field line in the fifth inning to score third baseman David Kyriacou, who reached base on a Slammers error. Mastrobuoni hit an RBI single up the middle in the ninth inning to bring the Deep Dish within two runs.
Vladimir Nunez posted a quality start for the Deep Dish despite earning the loss. The righthander pitched six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and five walks. He struck out six.
With Saturday's win, the first-place Slammers improved to 20-5 in the City of Champions Cup. Meanwhile, the third-place Deep Dish fell to 9-17 with the loss. The Deep Dish will play their final game of the City of Champions Cup on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. against the Joliet Tully Monsters, while the Slammers will play the NERDS Herd at 5:05 p.m. to cap off their season.
Game Recap:
Runs Hits Errors Left on Base
Joliet Slammers 5 7 1 9
Chicago Deep Dish 3 8 1 6
WP - Jake McSteen (7-0)
LP - Vladimir Nunez (0-5)
SV - Drew Peden (1)
Tonight's Merchants and Manufacturers Bank Player of the Game: Noah Vaughan (2-3, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB, SB)
Frontier League Stories from September 5, 2020
- Vaughan, Procyshen and McSteen Shine in Slammers' 5-2 Win - Joliet Slammers
- Jones' Dominant Start Lifts Tully Monsters Past NERDS Herd, 6-0 - Joliet Slammers
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