Game
Notes:
The Thunder lost to top-seed North Aurora, IL in the first semi-final in the Firecracker Tournament, 5-4. The club took an early 3-0 lead; in the first, Ryan "Big Ticket" Stepan singled and scored on Josh "Future" Retka's RBI single. In the third, the Thunder had three straight hits to start the inning, with "Easy" Eddie Hagberg, Brad "B-Train" Landgrebe, and Alex Johnson all hitting singles. Hagberg scored on Stepan's RBI fielder's choice and Landgrebe came home on an error. After No. Aurora rallied to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth, the Thunder came back to tie the game. Stepan (RBI,SB) singled, went to third on a wild pick-off attempt and scored on Jared Johnson's single. Starter Alex Johnson (2H) went the route, yielding four earned runs. He walked two and struck out one. Retka had three hits, including a double.