The Bums Will Always Lose — Just Not Tonight

The Joliet Slammers (13-13) got the lead-off man on seven times but could not take enough advantage of their chances as they lost 4-3 to the Traverse City Beach Bums (13-14) Saturday night.

Slammers’ starter Billy Petrick (1-5) shut down the Beach Bums for the first two innings and the Slammers grabbed the lead in the third.

John Wagle drew a walk to start the inning. Two outs later Brad Netzel continued his hot hitting with his first home run of the season and the Slammers were up 2-0.

But Petrick could not hold onto the lead. With one away in the bottom of the third Zack Pace singled and Matt Brown doubled him home. James Guerrero smacked a double of his own to score Brown and even the score at two.

The Slammers put runners on 1st and 2nd in the fourth only to have a double play end the inning. Traverse City got to Petrick again in the fifth. Pace drew a lead-off base-on-balls. Brown singled and both runners moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt. J.T. Hall hit a RBI grounder and it was 3-2 Beach Bums.

Chase Burch followed with a drive to left that fell in to drive in another run, but he was thrown out trying to turn the single into a double. Despite the inning ending, the damage was done and Traverse City had a 4-2 edge.

Joliet got a lead-off walk in the sixth, a lead-off double in the seventh, and a lead-off single in the eighth but did not score.

They made one last stand in the ninth inning. Kyle Maunus got things going with a double. Sean Estand doubled him in and the Slammers were within one. Pinch hitter Kris Kasarjian got hit by a pitch and John Wagle bunted the runners over. But pinch hitter Yasel Gutierrez struck-out and Leeper grounded out to end the game.

With the loss the Slammers fall to 2.5 games back of the Windy City ThunderBolts in the East Division. They open a six-game home stand with a game against the Rockford RiverHawks Sunday night. Jake Renshaw (3-1, 3.58 ERA) is on the mound.  First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. and it’s Father’s Day so dads and their children can play catch on the field before the game. Also David “No Way” Burlet will be performing.