Stephen Sauer
CRESTWOOD, IL – Stephen Sauer struck out ten over eight innings and helped the ThunderBolts to a 5-3 victory over the Joliet Slammers at Standard Bank Stadium Thursday night.
The Bolts scored three runs in the first two innings, marking the eleventh time in 15 games that they have scored first. In the first inning, Chris Wade led off with a single, stole second base, reached third on an error and scored on a Mike Torres groundout.
Billy Nowlin was hit by a pitch in the second and, after Jareck West walked, Travis Weaver doubled home Nowlin and moved West to third. Wade’s groundout scored West.
In the top of the fourth, David Fox hit a two-out single for Joliet and Zach Mandelblatt followed with his fourth homer of the year to tighten it up.
Windy City, though, was able to add some insurance in the sixth. Nowlin singled and after back-to-back walks loaded the bases, Wade hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Nowlin to give the ThunderBolts a 4-2 lead.
The Windy City scoring was capped in the seventh when Brandon Decker hit a solo homer to right, his first of the year.
The Slammers scored once more in the eighth, but it was not enough against Sauer, who did not allow a baserunner with fewer than two outs all night. Sauer (2-0) gave up just six hits total and picked up his second consecutive win. Jeremy Tietze (0-2) allowed four runs in five innings for the loss. Tyson Corley pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save.
The Bolts begin a three-game home series with the Florence Freedom Friday night at 7:05. It is $1.25 beer night for Budweiser Fill ‘R Up Friday as Dustin Williams (2-1) takes the hill for the ThunderBolts against Florence’s Andres Caceres (1-1). Anyone who cannot make it to the park can hear the game broadcast on WXAV, 88.3 fm and WXAV.com.
Box Score
