Slammers prevail in longest game in franchise history
Supplied report June 10, 2012 10:20PM
Updated: July 12, 2012 6:15AM
LONDON, Ontario — Brad Netzel singled home Kyle Maunus in the top of the 13th inning and the Joliet Slammers survived a marathon battle with the London Rippers, winning 13-12 Sunday afternoon.
The time of the game was a franchise-record 5 hours, 34 minutes. It also was the longest game innings-wise in team history.
The Slammers (11-10) drew a franchise-record 14 walks in the game.
Joliet took a 3-0 lead against London starter Eric Katzman in the second inning. Sean Estand singled home Zach Mandelblatt (walk), and Netzel followed with a double to left to bring in Maunus (single).
London (10-11), which had a seven-game winning streak snapped, took a 5-3 lead in the third. David Christensen struck the big blow with a bases-clearing double. A Mark Samuelson single drove in Christensen.
In the fifth, David Fox hit a towering two-run home run to tie the game at five.
Back-to-back walks to Netzel and Jimmy Waters started the sixth for the Slammers. Hector Pellot delivered a sacrifice fly for a 6-5 Joliet lead.
London tied the game in the bottom of the frame.
With two out in the seventh, Netzel crushed his first home run of the season to give Joliet a 7-6 lead. The Slammers tacked on a run in the eighth when Tony Sanchez scored on a balk.
London scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth off Brian Smith for a 10-8 lead. Joash Brodin and Samuelson each had two-run doubles.
Joliet battled back to tie the game in the ninth as Waters came up huge with a two-run single.
Joliet went ahead with two runs in the 12th, Pellot scoring on a wild pitch for a 12-10 lead.
London rallied against Jim Schult in the bottom of the 12th when Brodin singled in two runs.
In the 13th, the Slammers took advantage of the 14th walk issued by London pitching when Maunus got on base. Estand executed a perfect hit-and-run single and Netzel delivered the eventual game-winning single.
Schult, the last Slammers pitcher out of the bullpen, gave up a leadoff single in the bottom of the 13th, but the Slammers then turned a 6-4-3 double play. The Rippers threatened with two out, getting a walk and a single, but Schult was able to strike out pinch-hitter Zach Lawson to end the game.
The Slammers return home at 7:05 p.m. Monday to take on the Schaumburg Boomers.
