Slammers Crush Crushers To Take Series

Ben Hewett smacked two doubles and Brad Netzel delivered the eventual game-winning hit as the Slammers (32-24) knocked off the Lake Erie Crushers (26-30) by a final score of 7-4 Saturday night.

The Slammers got on the board first as they plated two in the second inning.

David Fox singled to lead off the frame but was quickly eliminated on a 4-6-3 double play. With two outs and nobody on, Sean Estand singled.

Rookie Tobi Adeyemi stepped to the plate for his first professional at bat and he beat out an infield single to put runners on first and second.

Hewett got his first extra base hit of the season when he doubled down the left field line to score Estand and give Joliet the 1-0 edge. A wild pitch scored Adeyemi and it was 2-0 Slammers.

Slammers starter Tommy Mendoza breezed through the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth. Three straight singles loaded the bases and Andrew Davis doubled in two runs to tie the game.

The Crushers weren’t done though as a Jason Taylor sacrifice fly and an Evan Sharpley double gave them the 4-2 lead.

The Slammers got a run back in the bottom half of the frame. With one out Erik Lis singled to left. Then with two away Fox doubled Lis to third. After Trey Manz drew a walk, Estand lined a ball off the glove of Sharpley at third for a RBI single and it was 4-3.

Hewett helped the Slammers tie the game in the sixth. He walked to start the inning and proceeded to steal second base. A wild pitch moved him to third and he scored on a Josh Floress sacrifice fly.

Mendoza went five solid innings for the Slammers and Jeremy Tietze (5-1) took over from there. The righty from Texas shut down the Crushers, allowing no runs, one hit and one walk.

The Slammers rewarded Tietze’s effort with three runs in the eighth inning to take the lead for good. Hewett got the ball rolling again with his second double of the night. A sacrifice bunt moved him to third and Netzel drove him in with a single to left to give Joliet the 5-4 lead. Kyle Maunus put the cherry on top a few batters later with his 10th home run of the season.

Joliet native Ryan Quigley made things interesting as two runners reached in the ninth, but still nailed down his league-leading 17th save.

With the win the Slammers have matched their season high mark of eight games over .500. They hit the road for six games starting Sunday afternoon in Traverse City when they take on the Beach Bums.