06/04/2007

Bums lose in 9th, 3-2

Windy City completes sweep

FROM STAFF REPORTS

CRESTWOOD, ILL. — The script didn't change Sunday.

Pinch-hiitter Phil Hawke singled in the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning to give Windy City a 3-2 win over the Traverse City Beach Bums and a sweep of their four-game Frontier League series.

Windy City won the last three games in the series by one run, twice pushing across the winning run in the ninth.

The latest setback left the Beach Bums at 4-8, 5½ games behind Windy City in the Central Division.

For the fourth time in the series, the Thunderbolts grabbed the early lead by scoring two runs off Ryan Gehring in the bottom of the third.

The Beach Bums finally broke through on Windy City starter Eric Fussell in the sixth. After Jeff Brown led off with a double and was thrown out attempting to score on a base hit by Brad Vericker, Curtis Ledbetter and Sam Orr singled to load the bases. Lance Koenig then bounced into a fielder's choice to score Vericker, trimming the deficit to 2-1.

It stayed that way until the ninth when — for the second time in the series — Traverse City tied it. Zack Kalter led off by singling off closer Matt Petty, who had already saved two games in the series. With two outs and Kalter at second, Justin Holmes drove the first pitch into center to knot the game.

After Gehring retired the first two Windy City hitters in the ninth, a single and a walk brought Nick Pepper in from the bullpen and on a 3-2 pitch Hawke delivered the game-winning hit.