Former Chicago Cub and Baltimore Oriole Jake Renshaw Pulls Slammers Even

Jake Renshaw turned in his best outing of the season and Erik Lis hit a home run that may still flying as the Joliet Slammers (11-11) beat the Washington Wild Things (10-12) by a final score of 3-2 Monday night.

Scott Lawson started the game with a home run to right field off Slammers’ starter Jake Renshaw.

But the Slammers responded right away as Bobby Leeper tripled to lead-off the bottom half of the frame. Brad Netzel followed with a sacrifice fly and the game was tied at one.

Washington would get their final run against Renshaw in the second. Doug Thennis doubled and Blake Ochoa bunted his way aboard. Luis Rivera followed with a slow chopper that scored Thennis and gave the Wild Things the 2-1 lead.

They threatened again in the third only to see Leeper make an unbelievable diving catch on an Eric Stephens line drive in the gap.

The Slammers took the lead for good in the bottom half of the frame. It was Leeper starting the rally again with a single. But a double play emptied the bases. Josh Flores wasn’t fazed as he singled to extend his streak of reaching base to 14 games. That’s when Lis absolutely unloaded on a Vidal Nuno pitch for a two-run home run and the Slammers had a 3-2 lead.

Renshaw made the lead last as he went eight plus innings, scattering seven hits, giving up the three runs, walking two and striking out seven. A potential rally in the seventh was erased when Sean Estand threw out a runner at the plate on a grounder to third with the infield up close.

Jeremy Tietze entered the game in the ninth after Renshaw gave up a lead-off single. Ben Hewett, who threw out two runners in the game, erased the threat when he caught pinch runner Derek Perren stealing.

Tietze picked up his first save of the year and the first save of the post-Ryan Quigley era, as Quigley signed a contract with the Washington Nationals’ organization on Monday.

The Slammers are back in action Tuesday night as White Sox legend Ron Kittle will be in attendance and fans can get two tickets for the price of one. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CST as Jason Jarvis (1-2, 3.81 ERA) will be on the bump for Joliet.