By Tim Tierney For Sun-Times Media July 12, 2013 10:46PM
Updated: July 12, 2013 10:46PM
The Frontier League All-Star break is next week, but the Joliet Slammers passed the midpoint of their 96-game schedule with a bang.
A fireworks night crowd of 3,553, third-largest of the season at Silver Cross Field, saw the Slammers rally from a 5-1 deficit Friday and start the second half of the season with a 6-5 win in the series opener against Rockford.
Joliet trailed 5-2 when it put together a four-run seventh inning, including a game-tying RBI single by David Christensen and an infield single by Kyle Maunus that scored Christensen with the go-ahead run on a throwing error.
Niko Vasquez and league All-Star Marquis Riley (3-for-5) also singled and scored in the inning.
Solid relief pitching from winner Chase Doremus (4 innings, 0 runs, 9 strikeouts) and Brett Zawacki set up closer Justin Erasmus, who pitched the ninth for his 12th save.
Erasmus came into the game tied for second in the league in saves, including Joliet?s three previous victories.
?There?s nobody better in this league,?? Slammers manager Mike Breyman said. ?He?s that guy you can hand the ball off to in the ninth inning and you?re pretty certain the game is over. ... He?s been fantastic for us.??
West Division rival Rockford (15-33) has the worst record in the league, but the Aviators were able to take two of three from Joliet (21-28) last month in Rockford.
?This is one of the series we need to do well,?? Breyman said. ?We?ve won the last three out of four series. We?ve played good baseball. We just had a three-game stint at Southern Illinois where we flat out did not show up.??
Rockford?s offense showed up in the second inning with a five-hit barrage against Slammers starter Chuck Lofgren that produced a 3-1 lead. Lofgren lasted into the fourth inning, allowing nine hits and five runs (four earned).
Michael Wing?s RBI double in the first scored Riley to put Joliet ahead 1-0. Wing leads the team with 27 RBI.
Christensen?s third home run of the season made it 5-2 in the fourth.
Joliet?s team batting average (.227) had dropped to the bottom of the league going into the three-game series.
Ottawa native Corey Kimes (3-4, 4.80 ERA) starts the second game for Joliet at 6:05 p.m. Saturday and Shawn Kale (2-2, 2.84 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday?s 2:05 p.m. game, the last one before the four-day All-Star break.
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