CornBelters Victorious at Home, But Eliminated From Playoff Contention
Written by: Griffin Leonard
NORMAL, IL — After being held hitless during the first five innings Tuesday, the Normal CornBelters found their offense late on the way to a 4-1 victory over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp.
After Illinois Valley walked the bases loaded in the sixth, Landen Johnson broke the no-hitter with a two-run RBI single that brought the Corn Crib, as well as the rest of the team’s hitting, alive.
It was the first of two hits for Landen, who improved his season batting average to .373, the second highest on the team behind Judah Morris. Judah did not feature today but is expected to play Wednesday.
On the mound, it was another electrifying outing for Luka Zakman, who has been sensational since joining the CornBelters. Zakman went seven innings, giving up one run which was unearned. In addition, he struck out 5 of the opposition, only walking one.
It’s back to back wins for Normal’s finest, much needed after the doubleheader was lost to Burlington on Saturday. Unfortunately, a win from Terre Haute in Danville knocks the CornBelters out of the race for the postseason. It looked to be decided on the season’s final day, until Danville blew a 10-0 lead in the final three innings when the Rex scored 13 runs unanswered.
Despite this, there is one more game coming up this season, when the CornBelters host the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp again Wednesday night. It is primed to be an exciting end to the season, so we hope you can join us! Wednesday’s action begins at 6:30 p.m. right here at the Corn Crib.