Baseball DIY

The River City Rascals (3-1) notched their first home victory Sunday evening in front of a large holiday weekend crowd, beating the Windy City Thunderbolts 5-4 in a nail-biter that ended on a double play with the tying run at third base.

The going got tough from the get-go for the Rascals, as the Thunderbolts’ surged to a 3-0 first inning lead on consecutive home runs by Dave Gresky (a two-run blast) and Brian Baker. Rascals rookie pitcher Rick Wood (1-0) settled down after the first, not allowing a run in his remaining five innings of work and striking out five.

The Rascals scored a run in the third thanks to Windy City miscues, but third baseman Stacey Bennett’s one-out single sparked their three-run outburst in the fourth. Hits by catcher Jon Williams and right-fielder David Arnold pushed Bennett, shortstop Tony Calderon, and second baseman Justin McKinley across the dish and put the Rascals on top 4-3. A sixth-inning home run by McKinley provided the Rascals with all of the insurance they would need.

Nifty defense and timely strikeouts helped the Rascals stave off the Thunderbolts’ comeback attempts. In the top of the sixth, the Rascals rebuffed a possible Windy City rally by turning a double play and striking out Rich Daly looking after the first two ‘Bolts reached base safely. Double plays in the seventh, eighth, and ninth kept the lead in River City hands.

River City southpaw sidewinder Joe Thatcher pitched the ninth, striking out one and earning his first save of the season. Thunderbolts starter Josh Glenn suffered the loss.

The Rascals and Thunderbolts (1-3) finish up the series Monday at 2:05 p.m. Fans who present their military ID at the game will receive two free tickets.