BATS HITTING, DEFENSE DOWNS FLYER’S, 12-2

LAKE IN THE HILLS — The Bats turned in a rare errorless performance enroute to a 12-2 victory over the Flyer’s on Friday night at Plote Field to improve their record to 9-5.   The Bats hitters pounded out 14 hits led by Earl Blankenship’s 3 safeties and Tom Klauba, John Eisenmenger, Greg Kaczmarek and Matt Weiss with 2 hits apiece.  The defense not only played flawlessly in the field, they turned 3 double plays to help shut down the Flyer’s attack.

In the top of the first the Bats loaded the bases with one-out singles by Rob Matassa, Klauba and Eisenmenger followed by Kaczmarek’s 2-run single to make it 2-0.  Eisenmenger scored on a passed ball and Weiss singled home Kaczmarek to give the Bats a 4-0 first-inning lead.

Weiss started on the hill for the Bats and, while struggling with his control, got the big outs when he needed them.  In the first, after walking the leadoff hitter, the right-hander struck out the next two batters before hitting two batters to load the bases.  Although a wild pitch allowed one runner to score, Weiss coaxed a pop up to third base to end the inning with a 4-1 lead.

In the third the Bats scored 2 runs on a two-out RBI double by Eisenmenger and an RBI single by Kaczmarek to make it 6-1. They blew the game wide open in the fourth when they scored 6 runs in almost every way possible with a station-to-station merry-go-round after loading the bases with one out.  John Reincke then got an RBI when he was hit by a pitch and Mike Steffy followed him with a bases loaded walk to drive home a run making it 8-1.  Blankenship singled home the next run and Matassa grounded into a fielder’s choice scoring another run to build a 10-1 lead.  Klauba ended the scoring with a 2-run double to make it 12-1.

Weiss gutted out the bottom of the fourth with a couple of walks and wild pitches as the Flyer’s scored 1 run before a flyout to Blankenship in center field resulted in an inning ending double play at third base.  He started the fifth and walked a batter before giving way to Matassa in relief.  After walking the first batter he faced, Matassa induced two ground outs, the second resulting in a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Eisenmenger pitched the sixth and allowed a one-out single to Brian Bacci, the Flyer’s only hit of the game, before retiring the final two batters of the 12-2 victory.

The win allowed the Bats to keep pace with the White Soxx (8-4) who defeated the Lightning on Sunday, 11-3.  The Bats and White Sox are tied for second and are ½ game behind the Marauders.

The Bats next game is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Sunday, August 8 against the White Soxx at Emricson Park in Woodstock, Ill.  This is the rubber match of the season series as the White Soxx won the first game, 9-3, and the Bats won the second, 17-10.

BATS DROPPINGS

The victory on Sunday ensured the Bats their first season over .500 since finishing at 7-6 in 2004 …  The Bats are 7-2 in their last 9 games, their best 9-game stretch ever, topping a 6-3 run achieved four times, most recently in 2010  …  John Eisenmenger’s 2 runs gave him 22 runs scored for the season, a new Bats record.  The previous record of 21 was established by Ken Kozlik in 2009… The Bats have averaged 4.2 errors per game in their 5 losses, but only 2.1 errors per game in their 9 victories …  The last time the Bats turned 3 double plays in a game was against the Cubs on August 6, 2017 in a 5-4 win at Tigers Field in Johnsburg.  That game ended on a DP, an exciting 9-3-2-1 fly out to RF with the tying run being thrown out at home plate … The Bats have 62 walks this season, their most since 2011 when they coaxed 61 walks in 18 games.  Their record for walks in a season is 81 in 2009 …  Bats old-timers were happy to welcome Randy Harris back in the dugout on Friday night.  Randy, one of the Bats (Diamondbacks) original superstars, joined the team in 2004 and still holds the team record for most hits in a season (24).  In his 10-year Bats career he batted .404 in 135 games while collecting 159 hits including 38 doubles, 9 triples and 2 home runs, with 123 runs scored, 116 RBI and 119 stolen bases.  Randy currently participates in Masters Track & Field in the 65-69 age class and ranks #3 nationally and #5 in the world in the High Jump … August 8 is Denny Prosperi’s 75th birthday.  Denny became the oldest Bats player (74 years 351 days) to ever to play in a game when he joined the 99-Defense out on the field for an inning at second base on July 25.