Little Falls, NJ -- Coming back to the field refreshed after a hard earned All Star week off, the Jackals were feeling more ready than ever to start their three game series against the Windy City Thunderbolts. With the heat building in for the weekend, the Jackals hoped to get off to a thunderous start! Despite the looming threat of rain and occasional drizzles, the game managed to start without a hitch.

    The Jackals managed to get a run on the board in the first inning, with Dalton Combs hitting an RBI single to bring Todd Isaacs home. However, the Thunderbolts struck right back, with Joshuan Sandoval getting a 2-run RBI in the top of the second inning, bringing the score to 2-1. The Thunderbolts tried to build on that lead in the top of the third, but were unsuccessful largely due to an excellent double play courtesy of second baseman Justin Wylie and first baseman Dalton Combs.

    After a few quick innings, Justin Wylie managed to tie the game up at 2-2 with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. After single hits from both Josh Rehwaldt and Trevor Abrams respectively, it seemed that momentum was swinging in the Jackals favor. A fly ball from Jason Agresti, however, unfortunately closed the inning. The Thunderbolts kept the pressure on in the top of the fifth, with Brynn Martinez getting a single-run RBI and securing them a 3-2 lead. However, after another excellent double play from Wylie and Combs, the inning closed out without further damage.

    Isaacs led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, and then a stolen base which put him at second. Santiago Chirino hit a single which wound up bringing Isaacs all the way home, tying the game yet again at 3-3. Joshuan Sandoval wound up being on the receiving end of a wild pitch by Jorge Tavarez in the top of the sixth, allowing another run to come in from third, and the Thunderbolts to lead 4-3. He was struck out shortly after however, followed by another quick out to close the inning.

    Continuing the relentless back and forth, Trevor Abrams managed to get an RBI single to tie the game once again, this time at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth. Moving to the top of the seventh, Jackals Manager Brooks Carey decided to bring in Hansel Rodriguez to pitch. Up until this point, Jorge Tavarez had 7 strikeouts, but also 4 walks and 6 hits. Clearly Rodriguez was ready, as he recorded three consecutive strikeouts.

    While no runs were scored, the bottom of the seventh was anything but uneventful. Agresti led off with a single, was sac-bunted to second by George Bell Jr. and then Isaacs walked. ThunderBolts reliever Daniel Kight worked out of the jam with a close call. Santiago Chirino blitzed a ball right back up the middle that Kight caught. He then struck Combs to end the threat.

    Moving into the eighth inning with the game still tied, tensions were high. Another fantastic double play by George Bell Jr., Santiago Chirino, and Justin Wylie, closed the inning out with no runs scored.

A quiet bottom of the eighth led to a ninth inning brimming with tension. Jose Ramirez was brought in as a closing pitcher for the Jackals, with Rodriguez exiting the game with his head held high with 4 strikeouts, and just one walk, and one hit to his name. Jose started off strong with a strikeout, followed by an excellent catch by Justin Wylie for the second out, and a second strikeout from Jose to close the inning. With the stadium all hoping for a walk off win, the game moved into the bottom of the ninth.

Despite Trevor Abrams getting to third base with one out in the inning, the Jackals just couldn’t secure that final run, and the game moved into extra innings. The Jackals prevented the automatic ghost runner on second base for the Thunderbolts from putting a run on the board. Combs started the bottom of the tenth off with a single, managing to get Joe Simone, pinch running for Chirino, to third. From there, all that was needed was a tapper through a drawn in infield from Alfredo Marte to bring an end to this long, grueling game. The Jackals came out on top, 5-4 for their fifth straight win.

    The Jackals will now move to play the second of the three game series against the Thunderbolts tomorrow starting at 6:05pm, which is Marvel night. There will be a poster giveaway at the door and a jersey auction to follow. The series will conclude on Sunday at 2:05pm which will wrap up the season long homestand. Tickets for both games are available at jackals.com.

PHOTO CREDIT: Phil Hoops

REPORTING BY: Cole Finnecy, Jackals Press Box and Media Relations Intern