River Dragons Hit REX With Nine-Run First, Go On To 13-9 Win At Home, Game At Thrillville Cancelled

ALTON - The Alton River Dragons had perhaps their biggest inning of the season with a nine-run first en route to a 13-9 win over the Terre Haute, Ind., REX in a Prospect League baseball game played Sunday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park in Alton.

A game scheduled for Monday night against the Thrillville Thrillbillies in Marion was cancelled and will not be made up. The Sunday win broke a three-game losing streak for the River Dragons and upped their second-half record to 7-14, still in fourth place in the Prairie Land Division of the Western Conference, also improving their overall record to 16-31.

The nine-run first was started by a RBI single by Erik Broekemeier of Metro-East Lutheran, who went to second on a passed ball that allowed Robby Taul of Alton High to score and make the score 2-0. Kaden Byrne singled home another run and Bryer Arview of Civic Memorial doubled home two runs to increase the Alton lead to 5-0, after which Eli Young hit a three-run homer over the left field fence to make the score 8-0. Edwardsville's Drake Westcott doubled home another run to give the River Dragons a 9-0 lead after the first.

Terre Haute came right back in the top of the second with five runs, starting with a solo homer by Gabe Wright to make the score 9-1, after which Dominic Kuprinski drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the second rum. A ground out to the first baseman unassisted by Payton Howard scored another run to make it 9-3, then Nazhir Bergen doubled home two runs to cut the Alton lead to 9-5. A third-inning two-run homer by Xavier Croxton further cut the River Dragon lead to 9-7. but in the home half of the fifth, a RBI double by Taul and RBI singles from both Westcott and Broekemeier gave Alton a 12-7 lead. Westcott hit a solo homer in the seventh and in the top of the eighth, Wright hit his second homer of the game over left field, with a Bergen RBI single in the ninth made the score 13-9, but that was as close as the REX would come as Alton took the game.

Westcott led the way for the River Dragons with three hits and three RBIs, while Broekemeier had three hits and two RBIs, Young had two hits and drove in three runs, while Arview had a hit and two RBIs, both Taul and Byrne each had a hit and RBI and Eli Hoerner and Diego Murillo each had a hit.

J.T. Miller had the start on the mound and went 2.1 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits, walking two and striking out two, while Nolan Wilson went the final 6.2 innings to pick up the win, giving up two runs on four hits, fanning seven.

After the cancelled game against the Thrillbillies, Alton goes on the road Tuesday night to play at the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes in a game that starts at 6:30 p.m., then returns home to face the O'Fallon, Mo., Hoots Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. The River Dragons go back on the road Thursday and Friday for a two-game series against the Burlington, Ia., Bees, with both games starting at 6:30 p.m., plays a home series staring on Saturday against the Danville Dans at 6:35 p.m., then hosts O'Fallon again Sunday night at 5:35 p.m. The final week of the season sees Alton playing at the Quincy Gems July 31 at 6:35 p.m., then play at the Hoots at CarShield Field Aug. 2 at 6:35 p.m. and winds up the season with a home-and-home against the Cape Catfish of Cape Girardeau, Mo., playing at home Aug. 3 before the season finale at Cape Girardeau on Aug. 4, both games starting at 6:35 p.m.

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