Two wins in a day is always nice.

Two walk-off wins in one day is even nicer.

The Lorain County Ironmen won a pair of games on Monday night, one being a rain-delayed game from earlier in the month and one being a regularly scheduled game. With the wins, the Ironmen climbed out of last place in the five-team Eastern Division of the Prospect League with a pair of 4-3 wins over the Slippery Rock Sliders at The Pipe Yard.

Avon Lake graduate Nick Hamilton was the hero with his bat and defensive play at third base. He plated a pair of RBI singles, including a walk-off RBI single to score Will Hodges, who led off the ninth inning with a double that went over the centerfielder’s head. His glove was flawless at third, recording four assists and two putouts.

"It all started with Will (Hodges), he really stepped up big for us," said Hamilton, whose team has six walk-offs out of its 10 wins. "He’s the guy that got on base and went to third on a wild pitch. I was able to get a fastball early in the count and that’s all I was looking for. It’s not too hard, especially when the guys get on ahead of you."

Westlake’s Justin Mackert, the Ironmen‘s newest player, reached on a fielder’s choice, then promptly stole second, before scoring on a Hamilton RBI single to get the Ironmen going in the third inning. After Hamilton went to second base on a Matt McAllester single, he advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a bases-loaded walk to Stephen Hagen, to make it 2-0.

McAllester got things going in the fifth inning, hitting a first-pitch delivery to right center field for a lead-off triple. He then scored when Tony Brunetti lined a base hit up the middle for an RBI single.

"The guys did a good job of picking it up and putting it all together," Ironmen coach Eric Cormell said. "It’s harder on my heart, but I’ll take it anyway they come. It just shows that our guys don’t quit. They’ve come back from deficits this year. They’re able to step it up in the right time and make it happen. What more can you ask for."

Ironmen starting pitcher Mike Pereslucha faced the minimum 12 batters through four innings after two double plays by his defense. In the first inning, Pereslucha and catcher J.T. Feldkamp pulled off the strike-em out, throw-em out double play as Feldkamp threw out Brian Davila, who was trying to steal second base after Pereslucha struck out Sam Sivilotti. In the third, Hamilton started the double play, going to McAllester at second and Ingraham at first for the 5-4-3 inning ender. He went six innings of two-hit ball, allowing just one walk and two hit batters before giving way to Joe Burnett, who allowed the Sliders to tie the game at three in the seventh.

Before the nightcap, the 3-3 tie game from June 12 (delayed by rain) was completed as Michael Grieco and Nate Antone came up big in the ninth inning as the Ironmen won their fifth game via walk-off.

In the top of the ninth, Slippery Rock’s Brian Davila missed on an attempted suicide squeeze, but Grieco made a heads-up play, fielding the outside pitch from Phil Brua and quickly diving across the plate to tag a sliding Derek Carr.

In the bottom of the ninth, Grieco, who had a one-out single, scored the game-winning run on a RBI single by Antone that went down the right field line.
Phil Brua picked up the win in both games, improving to 3-0. The Ironmen are now 10-14, while the Sliders slipped to 8-14.

"It was a little different (pitching relief in two games in one day)," said Brua, who picked up a pair of wins in one day twice at Oberlin College. "I actually felt like I was throwing harder in the second game. I had a little more zip on my ball for whatever reason.

"It’s awesome. We’ve had some anticlimactic walk-off wins, but we’ll take ‘em. It’s always fun to get those. Those are the most exciting."