Baseball: ThunderBolts put on hit show, defeat River City Rascals 12-1

By Logan Malloy For Sun-Times Media August 2, 2013 10:48PM

Updated: August 2, 2013 11:04PM

Afternoon showers Friday spoiled batting practice for the Windy City ThunderBolts, and a big flash of lightning added a 30-minute delay midway through the fifth inning in their game against the River City Rascals.

In the home dugout, though, it was all sunshine.

Windy City starter Brian Oliver went five innings, giving up just two hits and a walk, as the ThunderBolts downed the Rascals 12-1 at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood. It was just the second time Windy City scored double-digit runs this season en route to its largest margin of victory on the year.

The T-Bolts recorded 14 hits in the victory.

?It?s been a battle. We?ve been struggling to score runs,? said Oliver, who was lifted after the delay. ?But we?re getting guys healthy, and you never know what can happen when those guys start swinging the bats well.?

Oliver (4-5), a 225-pound righty, has won three of his past four starts. He gave up his lone run in the third inning when River City?s Eric Williams scored on a groundout by Johnny Morales. Oliver then retired the next seven batters.

?It was about the fastball and command,? Oliver said. ?They?re an aggressive team. I was trying to stay out of the middle of the plate.?

The ThunderBolts (29-37) scored their first four runs on just two infield hits for a 4-0 lead. Their bats exploded after the delay for three runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth, highlighted by consecutive RBI doubles by Ryan Soares (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and Chad Cregar (2-for-4, 3 RBI).

Cregar added a two-run homer in the eighth inning, a blast over the right-field wall that also scored Soares. The shot marked Cregar?s second home run in two games and his third of the season.

?(Cregar) is one of the most-feared hitters in the league,? Oliver said. ?Having him struggle, then get hurt, to get him back in the order ... just his presence is huge. He?s just a game-changing player in this league.?

Evan Button, Mike Torres and Andrew Brauer added multihit games for Windy City, which improved to 20-19 at home this season. The team hasn?t had a losing season at Standard Bank Stadium since a 21-26 finish in 2006.

Windy City?s Matt Solbach pitched three innings in relief, striking out two.

Source: http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/sports/21689787-419/baseball-thunderbolts-put-on-hit-show-defeat-river-city-rascals-12-1.html

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