Baseball: ThunderBolts beat Boomers in 12 innings
By Logan Malloy For Sun-Times Media May 23, 2012 11:32PM
Updated: July 3, 2012 8:55AM
Fresh off a 15-inning, 2-1 victory Tuesday over the Schaumburg Boomers, the Windy City ThunderBolts hoped to initiate a much swifter path to success in Wednesday night’s follow-up at Standard Bank Stadium.
Windy City’s hopes were answered, but just barely, as the ThunderBolts needed 12 innings to dispatch Schaumburg 5-4.
In his first professional at-bat, pitcher Matt Costello notched the win with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch RBI to score Billy Nowlin (2-for-6, 2 runs).
Schaumburg (3-2) loaded the bases with two intentional walks to get at Costello, as the ThunderBolts were out of reserves.
Windy City (4-1) wouldn’t have seen extra innings if not for the play of Chad Cregar. The right fielder reached base in all six plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles and four RBI.
“It’s amazing. We came out here (Tuesday) and played 15 innings with them. We knew it was going to be a battle today; both teams came out swinging,” Cregar said. “Leave it to a pitcher to get the walk-off hit-by-pitch for us.”
Cregar has eight hits over the first five games; four of them have been doubles and three have been homers.
“I’m really comfortable (at the plate) right now. You always want a hot start,” Cregar said. “Let’s go get the sweep (Thursday).”
Cregar’s sixth-inning home run was an absolute no-doubter, the ball going well over the right-field scoreboard to put the ThunderBolts ahead 4-3.
Windy City starter Dustin Williams scattered five hits over six innings, allowing three runs in a no-decision.
Williams, the Frontier League strikeout king a season ago with 157, tied Ross Stout’s franchise leading strikeout mark of 259 with a fifth-inning strikeout of Schaumburg’s Nick Kuroczko. Williams finished with four strikeouts.
Frank Pfister went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI for Schaumburg.
