Florence scored 14 combined runs and 22 hits in a doubleheader sweep of the Joliet Slammers Thursday night. They won game one by a score of 5-2 and game two by a count of 9-2.
In game one Florence jumped on the board in the first against Andrew Strenge (6-7). With two away, Austin Newell doubled and Sam Eberle singled him home. The Freedom put up another run in the third as Zac Mitchell tripled to deep center. The throw to third clipped Mitchell and went out of play, allowing him to score and putting Florence up 2-0.
In the fourth inning Steve Carrillo delivered a clutch, two-out RBI single to extend the Freedom lead to 3-0.
But Joliet responded in the fifth as Marc Flores launched a two-run home run off Freedom starter Cody Gray to cut the Florence lead to 3-2. Enter, “Pistol” Pete Levitt, who got the final two outs of the inning.
Collins Cuthrell provided some much-needed insurance in the sixth as he launched his eighth home run of the season, a two-run blast to make it 5-2 in favor of Florence.
Ethan Gibbons worked a scoreless bottom of the sixth and Ed Kohout picked up his 15th save of the year with a scoreless seventh.
In game two, the Freedom once again took the early lead in the first inning, this time against Joliet starter Kevin Walter (2-7). Eberle and Frazier Hall delivered back-to-back RBI singles to make it 2-0 in favor of the Freedom.
But Jack Cleary hit a two-run homer off Florence starter Patrick McGrath in the second inning to tie the game at two.
The Freedom took the lead for good in the third on an Austin Newell RBI grounder. Then they plated three more in the fourth. Isaac Wenrich destroyed a baseball for his first homer as a member of the Freedom. Andrew Godbold doubled and Carrillo singled him home to make it 6-2 in favor of Florence.
McGrath struggled in the fourth so Levitt (5-2) would get the final two outs of the inning. Then the Freedom added three more runs in the seventh. Zac Mitchell singled, Austin Newell walked and Eberle singled home Mitchell for the first run of the inning. Cuthrell added a two-RBI single to make it 9-2.
Seth Harvey worked the final three innings of the game to pick up the save. Levitt got the win in both contests.
The Freedom head to Schaumburg to take on the Boomers Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Chuck Weaver (6-4, 3.22 ERA) takes the hill for Florence.
From Freedom Communications