Just like flying squirrels, baseball players are adept at gliding across grassy fields, munching on seeds, and dodging bats in midair. Witness this acrobatic species in its natural habitat with today’s Groupon: for $14, you get two tickets to any regular-season Windy City ThunderBolts game (an $18–$20 value) at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood, plus a pair of hot dogs and sodas (an $8 value) from the concession stands (up to a $28 total value). Groupons may be redeemed for upper- or lower-deck tickets, subject to availability.

The ThunderBolts' swift pitches and powerful swings have twice led them to being crowned champions of the Frontier League—a set of a dozen independent pro baseball teams. This season, right-handed hurler Dustin Williams has led the 'Bolts pitching staff and fanned 29 batters over 24.1 innings in his first four starts. Meanwhile, catcher Zach Aakhus has been chasing the league’s slugging title with a .365 average through 18 games and an industrial-strength butterfly net. Groupon holders may choose from more than 30 remaining home games in 2011, catching more flies than a bullfrog dipped in honey from their upper- and lower-deck seats.

Lined with catered picnic areas, concession stands, and a sudsy beer garden, Standard Bank Stadium arrays out food and festivities throughout the summer. Families can leapfrog nearly 3,200 seats as they head to the kids’ zone, a bastion of baseball-themed activities for youngsters and a popular hangout for Boomer, the ‘Bolts baseball-munching mascot.

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