ALTON - Three pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts, with Cameron Crain fanning six and Marcus Heusohn drove home a pair of runs as the Alton River Dragons picked up a vital 3-1 win over the Quincy Gems in a Prospect League baseball game played Tuesday evening at Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park in Alton.

The win moved the River Dragons to within a half-game of the Prairie Land Division lead at 12-13 for the second half of the league's split season, with the Cape Catfish of Cape Girardeau, Mo. in the lead at 12-12, a game-and-a-half up on the third place Springfield Lucky Horseshoes. Alton has already won the first half title and should they win both halves, they'll play the overall second place team in the division championship game on Sunday. The River Dragons' overall record improves to 30-26.

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The River Dragons scored their first two runs in the third, with Edwardsville's Blake Burris reached on a fielder's choice which forced the runner at second but scored Ethan Kleinheider to make it 1-0. It doubled later in the inning on a RBI single by Heusohn that scored Burris to make it 2-0. The pair combined again in the fifth, when Heusohn lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Burris again to make it 3-0. A Logan Voth RBI single in the top of the ninth made put Quincy to within 3-1, but it would be as close as the Gems got as the Grizzlies came away with the win.

Eddie King and Ethan Kleinheider both led the Dragons with a pair of hits each, while Heusohn had a hit and two RBIs, Burris had a hit and RBI and Alton's Mike Hampton, Cameron Hailstone and Gunnar Doyle all had hits. Shane Kerarby started on the mound and went five-and-one-third innings, scattering four hits while walking two and striking out three in gaining the win to run his record to 2-0, Crain went two-and-two-thirds innings in relief, not allowing a hit while walking one and fanning six and Carson Richardson pitched the ninth, allowing an earned run on two hits, walking one and striking out one for his first save of the season.

The River Dragons go on their final road trip of the regular season on Wednesday, playing in Iowa in the first two games, going up against the Clinton LumberKings on Wednesday and the Burlington Bees on Thursday, both games starting at 6:30 p.m., then end the regular season against the Horseshoes on Friday and Saturday, the first game at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Springfield and the return game in Alton Saturday, starting at 6:35 p.m. The division championship game will be played on Sunday against an opponent to be determined, with the site and start time to be announced.

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