wcthunderbolts.com

CRESTWOOD, IL – The ThunderBolts suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday morning when the Lake Erie Crushers churned out 12 runs on 13 hits to take down the Bolts 12-4 at Standard Bank Stadium

Windy City got off to a strong start, scoring two runs on four hits in the first inning. Mike Torres doubled and Ryan Soares singled him in for the first run. Soares later scored on a Ryan McIntyre base hit.

Their 2-0 lead would disappear in the third inning when the Crushers plated three runs. Juan Sanchez led off with a double, the first of his four hits, and he scored when Trevor Stevens reached on an error. An RBI single for Kevin Berard tied the score and Ryan Hutchison’s sacrifice fly made it 3-2.

The Crushers began to run away in the fifth, batting around on their way to three more runs. Anderson Hidalgo reached on an error and Hutchison was hit by a pitch to start things. Both men scored on an Emmanuel Quiles single. Brian Hagget’s RBI single made it 6-2.

They added another four runs in the sixth. Quiles hit a two-run double and Hagget and Sanchez each had an RBI hit.

The Bolts got one in the sixth on a Kyle Robinson single before the Crushers tacked on two more in the eighth thanks to Trevor Stevens’ two-run base hit. Windy City concluded the scoring with their first home run of the year, a Ryan McIntyre solo shot, in the ninth.

The ThunderBolts committed five errors in the game, leading to seven unearned runs.

Daniel Cropper (1-1) allowed three earned runs in 4.1 innings for the loss and Connor Whalen (1-0) picked up the win, pitching 6.2 three-run innings.

Following a 5-1 season-opening homestand, the ThunderBolts will hit the road for the first time this weekend. A three-game series in Traverse City begins Friday with Jake Fisher (1-0, 3.00) on the mound for the Bolts against Mike Devine (0-1, 1.42) of the Beach Bums. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CDT. The broadcast can be heard on WXAV 88.3 FM and wxav.com.

Box Score