Aviators Split Doubleheader
Published on June 22, 2019 under Prospect League (Prospect)
Lafayette Aviators News Release
Lafayette, IN- In a shortened doubleheader at Loeb Stadium, the Lafayette Aviators (13-7) split the twin bill with the DuPage Pistol Shrimp (8-10). DuPage took the first game 6-4, and Lafayette won the matinee 7-4. Both games were scheduled to be seven innings in length.
Game 1
The Aviators jumped on top of the Pistol Shrimp quickly in the first inning. Brent Todys (Ohio State) and Chris Monroe (Illinois Springfield) smacked back-to-back doubles to put Lafayette up 1-0. Monroe's double to score Todys was his 14th two-bagger of the season, and also his 20th RBI. Entering the Saturday, the Illinois Springfield junior lead the league in doubles and was third in RBI. With two hits in game one of the doubleheader, Monroe has now notched a hit in 16 straight games.
In the top of the fifth inning the Pistol Shrimp responded on the scoreboard. With runners on the corners, a balk was called again the Aviators starter Bryce Grossius (Southeastern Missouri State) which allowed a DuPage baserunner to stroll home. After a single and a sac fly, the Pistol Shrimp added two more runs and turned the tables on the Aviators by making it 2-1.
DuPage pulled away more in the sixth after the Shrimp were able to string together two singles to start the inning. Following a bunt to move the runners to second and third, the DuPage second basemen Jonathan Hodo bounced a chopper just over the head of Braedon Blackford (Illinois State) at shortstop. The ball was hit so softly that it allowed the runners at second and third to both score before Zach Heeke (Central Michigan) was able to get to the ball in center. After the play the score stood at 4-1 in favor of the Pistol Shrimp.
With two men on base in the bottom of the sixth, Zach Heeke blooped a single to shallow right that scored Chris Monroe from third. Zach Heeke stood on first, and Kollyn All (Butler) stood on second. Matt Mackey (Eastern Illinois) stepped up to the plate. Earlier in the game, Mackey crushed a foul ball that made it over Wallace Street beyond right field. This time in the sixth, Mackey was able to straighten the ball out, and stroked a ball off the wall in dead center field to bring in Heeke and All. Mackey's double tied the game at 4-4.
Dane Toppel reached first on a single in the top of the seventh inning for the Pistol Shrimp. With two outs and the speedy Toppel threatening on the base paths, Lafayette Catcher Matt Phipps (Western Kentucky) zipped a laser to second to catch a stealing Toppel and end the inning still tied at 4-4.
Despite the scheduled seven innings, game one of the doubleheader couldn't be finished within the allotted time and required nine innings.
In the top of the ninth Jack Surin flew a ball to right field that got caught in the jet stream and eventually landed past the wall to give DuPage a 6-4 edge. Lafayette was unable to answer in the home half of the inning and dropped game one of the doubleheader.
Game 2
The Aviators fell behind in the second inning with Nathanial Tate (East Tennessee State) on the mound.
Down 1-0, Lafayette claimed their first lead of the game in the third inning. After Zach Schwartzenberger reached on an error by DuPage, Blake Schmitt (Purdue) doubled to right to score the junior Rocket. Braedon Blackford followed with a base knock to bring Schmitt around and make it 2-1 in favor in the Aviators.
Tate gave Lafayette a solid start on the mound. The right-hander made it through five innings of two-run baseball. Tate struck out seven and did well to keep DuPage in check when runners reached base.
Keolu Ramos (Arizona State) had only seen intermittent playing time entering the doubleheader on Saturday. In the fourth inning, the future Sun Devil rocked his first Prospect League hit of the summer off the left field wall. Ramos made it to second on the play and the double scored Zach Heeke to give Lafayette a 3-1 advantage.
DuPage grabbed two runs to tie the game fifth inning, but Lafayette swiped the lead right back in the bottom of the fifth with three consecutive hits from Blake Schmitt, Chris Monroe, and Braedon Blackford. Those two doubles and one single brought in one run to make it 4-3 in favor of the home team. Then with the bases loaded and two outs, Ramos lined a ball to left field to score two Aviators and set the Lafayette lead at 6-3. DuPage walked Zach Schwartzenberger and Trey Sweeney (Eastern Illinois) in back-to-back at-bats to force in one more run making it 7-3.
Justin Foy (Western Illinois) got to pitch in a win on his birthday. The Leatherneck turned 20 on Saturday and contributed by tossing the final inning and two thirds on the hill for Lafayette while not allowing a run and striking out two.
The Aviators will be in action again against DuPage at Loeb Stadium on Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:05 PM ET. If you can't attend the game, be sure to catch all the action with the voice of the Aviators Brett Douglass on 104.3 FM The Patriot.
Prospect League Stories from June 22, 2019
- Homer's Three-Run Bomb Send Paints to 11th Straight Win - Chillicothe Paints
- Aviators Split Doubleheader - Lafayette Aviators
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