By Greg Halbleib
NORMAL – The Normal CornBelters, presented by Illinois Corn Farmers, used a five-run seventh inning to tie the game and a run in the eighth inning to overcome a five-run deficit, but lost 10-8 to the Gateway Grizzlies on Saturday night at the Corn Crib.
The Grizzlies reached Belters starter Edgar De La Rosa right away, scoring four times in the opening frame on three hits, two walks and an error.
The CornBelters countered in the bottom of the first inning as a deep line drive by Jesus Solorzano to right field was misplayed into a double, scoring Santiago Chirino and Aaron Dudley to cut the margin to 4-2.
Gateway plated another run in the second inning on the third RBI of the contest from Cody Livesay, a two-out single to center for a 5-2 lead.
Livesay delivered again in the fourth with a two-out RBI single to right field, and Dan Holst registered his second RBI with a single in the seventh to extend the Gateway lead to 7-2.
The Belters picked up their big inning in the seventh with five runs to tie the game at 7-7, all scoring with two outs. The attack began with an infield single by Yeixon Ruiz plus an error to plate Miguel Torres from first base, followed by consecutive double to right center by Chirino and Dudley to cut the score to 7-5. A Solorzano single through the right side and an infield base hit by Torres completed the scoring for the tie.
The CornBelters took the lead in the bottom of the eighth as Ruiz walked and stole second, then scored on a Dudley shot off the third baseman to break the tie.
The Grizzlies’ first two men reached via singles in the ninth inning, and a one-out base hit to right by Evan Rogers evened the contest at 8-8, and a two-RBI single to right field with the bases loaded by Brent Sakurai put the guests ahead 10-8.
Tanner Cable (3-3) earned the win in relief despite giving up the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Francisco Carillo (1-4) took the loss. Kaleb Earls pitched the ninth for his seventh save.
The series and homestand conclude with a 4:35 p.m. Sunday contest against the Grizzlies. Gates open at 3:35 and broadcast time on WJBC.com is 4:20. Sunday is Faith and Family Day, featuring contemporary Christian music on the concourse by Mosaic and Michael Collins bobblehead dolls to the first 1,000 fans. Collins was killed in a drunk driving crash in Bloomington in 2014 at age 22, and his legacy continues through the Michael Collins Foundation and the MC Strong movement involving pay-it-forward gestures and God-glorifying causes he favored.
