CornBelters ride big 6th inning to victory

Posted on July 31, 2016

*Homestand ends Sunday afternoon vs. Crushers (WJBC File Photo)*

By Greg Halbleib

NORMAL, Ill. – The Normal CornBelters, presented by Illinois Corn Farmers, scored five times in the sixth inning to regain the lead and defeat the Lake Erie Crushers 9-4 on Saturday night at the Corn Crib.

The CornBelters opened the scoring in the third inning when Elvin Rodriguez doubled to the left field corner, went to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a seeing-eye single through the left side of a drawn-in infield by Ty Morris. Aaron Dudley singled home Morris for a 2-0 lead.

The Crushers tied the contest at 2-2 in the fourth inning when failed double play attempt, a walk and a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position with both coming home on a single to left by Max Casper. The guests took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on a lead-off home run to right field by Parker Norris.

The Belters exploded for five runs in the sixth inning to regain the lead. The first three hitters in the frame drew walks and scored on a Justin Fletcher single, a fielder’s choice by Dylan Kelly and a wild pitch, and RBI singles from Rodriguez and Morris completed the scoring for a 7-3 advantage.

Lake Erie closed to 7-4 with a two-out double to the right field corner by Jose Barraza in the seventh inning but RBI singles from Santiago Chirino and Dudley countered it in the eighth inning for the final score.

Chris Carmain (4-6) worked six and two-thirds innings for the win, giving up four runs (three earned) on 10 hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Juan Caballero (0-1) took the loss with five and one-third innings, surrendering seven runs (earned) on nine hits with five walks and one strikeout. Brennan Smith pitched the ninth inning for his first save.
The series and homestand concludes Sunday with a 4:35 p.m. first pitch against the Crushers. Right-hander Horatio Acosta (5-2, 3.46 ERA) starts on the mound for the CornBelters while the Crushers starter has not been announced. Heartland Bank and Trust Family Fun Day features four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $40, kids can run the bases after the game and all fans can meet the CornBelters on the field. Also, the first 500 fans receive a team photo. The game can be heard live on WJBC.com beginning at 4:20.

Stay social with the CornBelters at http://twitter.com/normal_baseball, http://www.facebook.com/CornBelters and http://www.youtube.com/normalcornbelters.

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