Hoots Score Twice In Second And Third, Six Times In Fifth, Sweep Series From Alton 13-3

ALTON - The O'Fallon, Mo., Hoots scored twice in the second and third innings, then added on six more runs in the sixth en route to a 13-3 win over the Alton River Dragons in a Prospect League baseball game played Sunday evening at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park.

The River Dragons have now lost five games in a row and are now 5-10 in the Western Conference's Prairie Land Division in the league's second half and 114-27 overall.

O'Fallon took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second on a single by Chase Beattie, with Nick Harms scoring on an error by the right fielder, then Tyson Ludwig drew a bases loaded walk to force in another run. Alton halved the lead in the home half of the inning, getting a RBI single from Diego Murillo to make it 2-1. The Hoots scored twice more in the top of the third on a two-run homer by Michael Long to make it 4-1. The scored stayed the same until the top of the sixth, when Tyler Ferguson scored on a wild pitch, Jack Meyer and Harms stroked RBI singles and Long hit a three-run homer over the center field fence to make the score 10-1.

In the top of the eighth, a RBI double by Harms and RBI single by Long and John Stallcup pushed the O'Fallon lead to 13-1 and a two-run single by Aiden Joaquin in the bottom of the inning made the final score 13-3 for O'Fallon, giving them the series sweep.

Joaquin had a hit and two RBIs for the River Dragons, while Murillo had a hit and the other RBI and both Edwardsville's Blake Burris and Drake Westcott, along with Erik Broekemeier of Metro-East Lutheran had the other hits. Lucas Johns got the start and was charged with the loss, going three innings and allowing four runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four, Dimitri Ivetic pitched three more innings, allowing six unearned runs on six hits, walking one and fanning three, N. Wilson threw in the seventh, giving up a hit while striking out two and Dominic Decker pitched the eighth, allowing three runs on four hits, walking one and striking out one.

Alton hosts the Cape Catfish of Cape Girardeau, Mo. Monday night in a 6:35 p.m., start, then started a brief road trip on Tuesday, visiting the division leading Thrillville Thrillbillies in Marion Tuesday at 6:45 p.m., then play a two-game set at the Catfish Wednesday and Friday, the first game starting at 2:05 p.m. and the second starting at 6:35 p.m., then finish the road trip on Saturday at the Danville Dans, the first pitch coming at 6:30 p.m. The River Dragons return home July 23 against the Terre Haute, Ind., REX in a 5:35 p.m. first pitch, then play again at Thrillville July 24 at 6:45 p.m. and at the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes July 25 at 6:30 p.m., returning home to play O'Fallon July 26 at 6:35 p.m.

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