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River City Rascals

Rascals Rally Comes up Short against Gateway

June 26, 2016 - Frontier League (FL)
River City Rascals News Release


In front of a season high 3,884 fans on Chris Carpenter night, the River City Rascals (19-18) began to rally in the ninth inning but came up short in a loss to the Gateway Grizzlies (19-20), 9-5, Saturday night at CarShield Field. Trying to snap a five game losing streak, the Rascals had to play from behind the entire night as the Grizzlies tallied 17 hits and it began when second baseman Seth Heck homered with one out in the opening frame. Rascals starter Jason Ziegler settled down after that and retired the next two hitters, including a strikeout on Craig Massoni.

On the mound for the Grizzlies was Trevor Richards and all-around he was solid in his eighth start of the year. However, Mike Jurgella found success on him early and got the crowd on their feet with a solo home run of his own to tie the game at one.

That would be the last inning that the Grizzlies did not hold a lead and they swung the bats well in the top half of the second picking up three hits, including a RBI single from John Bunselmeyer to retake the lead.

Grizzlies starter, Trevor Richards, bounced off his offensive success and tallied five strikeouts in the next three innings to keep the Rascals off the scoreboard and by the time he came out for the bottom of the fifth inning, his team had given him a 6-1 lead and chased Rascals starter Jason Ziegler out of the contest.

The top of the fifth began with four consecutive hits, including two doubles off the wall and RBI's from Logan Davis and Seth Heck. Manager Steve Brook went to his bullpen trailing 4-1 and the Grizzlies responded off of Joe Pavlovich with a RBI single from Craig Massoni and there were still no outs. Trailing by four runs, Pavlovich got a fly out and then one more run came home to score on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Tewell, his fifth RBI of the series to put his team up 6-1.

Both the runs that came home to score off Pavlovich were Ziegler's baserunners and he finished giving up six runs on nine hits in four innings and lost his first game of the season.

The Rascals got one of the runs back in their next opportunity via a RBI single from Alexi Colon that scored Robby Enslen but Gateway continued to respond in the sixth and tacked on one more with a sacrifice fly to make 7-2.

Gateway, who has now won nine of their past eleven games, added two runs on four hits off of Lucas Laster in the seventh inning and Grizzlies manager Phil Warren replaced starter Trevor Richards with a 9-2 lead. Picking up the win, Richards struck out eight and allowed two runs on six hits.

Jordan Wellander and Dakota Smith each tossed a scoreless inning for Gateway as did Nick Kennedy and Zac Treece for River City and the Rascals last chance in the ninth came against Grizzlies third reliever Kevin Jefferis.

Jefferis was the lone Grizzly that the Rascals were able to get multiple runs in an inning off of and Robby Enslen got it started with a single. Clint Freeman moved him into scoring position and then Willi Martin delivered a pinch-hit RBI double to get the Rascals their first run since the fifth inning. The top of the order was due up next and two pitches later Alexi Colon made it 9-5 as he drove one off the top of the wall in right field, however he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double and the Rascals were down to their final out. Jefferis got the final out in his next opportunity and ended the five run, ten hit night.

Robby Enslen tallied a team high three hits, Alexi Colon had two and five other players finished with one, including Mike Jurgella's home run that gave him a team high nine game hitting streak.

The season continues Sunday as Tim Koons and the Rascals will try to snap a season long six game losing streak. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05.

"We do have a good team but unfortunately things aren't going our way right now," veteran Nick Kennedy said. "I am very confident in our ability to play better and I believe we are going to be just fine."

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