Normal CornBelters left fielder Romulo Ruiz blasted a three-run homer off of Windy City Thunderbolts pitcher Rich Hawkins for a 7-6 victory in there Frontier League home-opener before 2,713 fans at the Corn Crib. The Belters (3-1) led the entire way until Windy City (1-4) scored three unearned runs in the sixth to grab a 6-4 lead. The top five hitters in Normal’s lineup contributed 11 of the team’s 12 hits. Mike Schwartz, Pat McKenna and Ruiz had three hits each. Mitch Mormann (1-0), who relieved starter Drew Provence in the fifth, earned the win. Casey Upperman pitched two innings of hitless relief for his second save. The two teams meet again Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. for the second game of the opening series.
-Bob
The home run derby may have been scheduled for Tuesday night but no one told the players that, as the 2012 State Farm Frontier League All-Star game saw the two teams combined for a total of seven long balls on the evening, with the Eastern Division’s best prevailing over the All-Stars from the West 9-6 Wednesday night at the Corn Crib. London Rippers first baseman Joash Brodin was honored with the game’s Most Valuable Player Award, going 4-5 with a homerun and three runs scored. The squad from the East treated fans at the Corn Crib to souvenirs early and often, with Traverse City’s Jose Vargas opening the scoring in the top of the first when he belted a two-out, solo shot to the top of the berm in left. Southern Illinois Miners outfielder Chad Maddox extended the East’s lead when he too hammered a solo home-run in the top of the second inning. Normal CornBelter catcher Pat Trettel gave the hometown fans something to cheer about as he helped cut into the East’s lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the frame, bringing in Schaumburg Boomers outfielder Chad Mozingo. The next batter, River City outfielder Jason Patton, knocked in Gateway’s Jarod Yakubik with an RBI single of his own, bringing the score to 9-6, but the West would get no closer. Lake Erie Crushers left hander Paul Fagan picked up the win for the East, while Gateway right handed pitcher Tim Brown took the loss. Regular season games resume on Friday.
-Bob
Russell Moldenhauer of the Lake Erie Crushers belted his way to a victory defeating Florence’s Jim Jacquot in the State Farm Frontier League Home Run Derby with five home runs in the final Tuesday night at The Corn Crib before 4,290 fans. Round one saw Jacquot, Moldenhauer, London’s Joash Brodin, and Traverse City’s Jeff Flagg hammering the most long balls, narrowing the field of 14 to the final four contestants. Flagg advanced by overpowering Windy City’s Chad Cregar and River City’s Charlie Lisk in a tiebreaker for the final spot. “I was surprised I got there. It went way better than I ever imagined,” the 6-1, 210-pound Jacquot said. “I had to go opposite field with the wind, not necessarily ideal for hitting home runs. But he (Moldenhauer) did a good job. It was going to be tough to beat him.” Normal’s Pat Trettel did not clear the fence in his allotted eight first-round swings. The festivities continue tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. when the Western Division All-Stars face off against the Eastern Division in the 2012 State Farm Frontier League All-Star Game. Click here for complete results.
-Bob
The Normal CornBelters, downed the Rockford RiverHawks 7-3 Friday night at the Corn Crib after eight strong innings from starter Tyler Lavigne. The offense also came alive with four home runs as Normal (36-40) snapped a two-game losing skid both at home and against Rockford (31-45) in Frontier League action. Tyler Lavigne (W, 5-7) tossed eight innings and gave up seven hits and two unearned runs while striking out seven. Joe Scumaci (L, 4-3) allowed seven earned runs on seven hits in his 4.2 innings of action. Marshall Schuler pitched the ninth for Normal, and surrendered one run on four hits. Rockford’s Kevin Patterson and Brad Allen held the CornBelters scoreless in a combined 3.1 innings of relief. Brandon Newton got things started with a two-run homer, the Belters also enjoyed solo home runs from Mike Mobbs and Frank Martinez and a three-run shot by Steve Alexander.
-Bob
