DANVILLE - The Danville Dans jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning, then put the game away with three runs in both the third and fourth innings, allowing only two hits as Danville defeated the Alton River Dragons 10-0 in six-and-a-half innings in a Prospect League game played Tuesday night at Danville Stadium.
The Dans have the best overall record in the league at 37-10, 16-1 in the second half of the season, having won the first half title in the Wabash River Division of the Eastern Conference and also ended the River Dragons' three-game winning streak. Alton is now 8-11 in the second half of the league's split season and trail the Prairie Land Division leading Springfield Lucky Horseshoes by only a half-game and is now 26-24 overall.
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The Dans wasted no time in the bottom of the first, using an RBI triple by Carlos Vasquez and an RBI single by Keenan Taylor to take a 2-0 lead. It became 5-0 in the third on a two-run homer by Taylor and a Jack Ellis sacrifice fly, then in the next inning, a two-run single by Vasquez and a RBI single by Taylor extended the lead to 8-0. In the home half of the sixth, a sacrifice fly by Bryce Chance and a bases-loaded walk to Paxton Kling made the score 10-0, with the River Dragons going down in the top of the seventh to conclude the game.
Edwardsville's Blake Burris and Alton's Mike Hampton had the only hits of the game, while Houston High started on the mound and went two-and-two-thirds innings, conceding five runs, four earned, on four hits while walking three and striking out two. Logan Weaver, Kalen Reardon and Marcus Heusohn also pitched for the Dragons, each fanning a batter.
The Dragons return home to Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park to play the Burlington, Ia., Bees, then travel to Quincy to play the Gems Thursday night at Quincy University Stadium, with July ending on Friday and Saturday with a home-and-home series against the O'Fallon, Mo., Hoots, the first game at Lloyd Hopkins Field and the second game at CarShield Field in O'Fallon Saturday. Ail games start at 6:35 p.m.
