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FL River City Rascals

Butler Drives in 4 as Rascals Win

July 26, 2014 - Frontier League (FL)
River City Rascals News Release


An amazing night for Rascals designated hitter Saxon Butler- who hit a home run and a double driving in a total of four- helped push River City into sole possession of first place in the Frontier League West with an 8-6 win over the Greys.

In game two of the Frontier series, River City sent right-hander Tim Koons to the mound to counter Keith Picht for the Greys. Koons and the Rascals were trying to reassert their dominance in the league after a game one loss to Frontier.

In the top of the first, Koons took the hill to quickly set down the Greys' hitters 1-2-3. River City would then get a boost from a brand new Rascal in the bottom of the first, as catcher Joe Staley belted a two-out, two-run home run in his first at bat for River City. The longball put the Rascals up 2-0 after one at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.

The righty Koons retook the mound in the top of the second to retire the Frontier bats 1-2-3 for a second inning in a row. Picht followed suit by returning to the mound himself to keep River City off the board in the bottom of the second- leaving the score at 2-0 Rascals heading into the third.

The Greys then retaliated in the top of the third, as they cut the lead in half on a sacrifice-fly RBI courtesy of second-baseman Jon Dziomba. The Rascals then countered with a run of their own, as first-baseman Brian McConkey drove in his fifth run as a Rascal on a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the inning. That clutch hit gave the Raskies a 3-1 lead after three in O'Fallon.

After a scoreless fourth inning, Frontier would score four in the top of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. The first run would come across on an RBI groundout by shortstop Chase Tucker, but the bigger blow was to follow, as second-baseman Jon Dziomba would belt a monster shot, two-run home run with two outs to give Frontier the lead for the first time in the contest. Kyle Haines' Greys would then tack on an insurance run thanks to an RBI single by first-baseman Joe Rapp- making it 5-3 Frontier after four and a half.

Starter Tim Koons' night consequently came to an end after 4.2 on the mound in which he allowed five runs- all earned- on five hits while walking one and striking out none. Koons gave way to reliever Chandler Jagodzinski and stood in position to be the losing pitcher in the ballgame.

The Rascals then quickly retaliated in the bottom of the fifth on a giant two-run homer by Saxon Butler over the right field monster wall to tie the game at five after five. The rookie outfielder from St. Cloud University Brian Hansen would then give River City a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth on his fourth professional home run. That spelled the end of the night for starter Keith Picht who pitched 5.2 innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits while striking out six and walking three.

Frontier then returned the favor once again, as they tied the game up at six in the top of the seventh on an RBI single off the bat of Frank Florio- his first hit of the series. River City then got one of its biggest hits of the season in the bottom of the eighth, as Saxon Butler belted a two-run single with the bases loaded and two down- giving the Rascals an 8-6 lead heading into the ninth.

Closer Gabriel Shaw then entered in the top of the ninth to try and lock down his 18th save of the year. Shaw faced the minimum, striking out two of three batters and getting River City a win in game two. The loss in the game went to Frontier reliever Paul Mittura with the win going to Rascals reliever Patrick Crider. A loss across town by the Gateway Grizzlies also allowed the Rascals to take over sole possession of first place in the West Division- as they now lead by a half-game.

The final game of the series against the Frontier Greys tomorrow night starts at 7:05pm CT. Tickets can be purchased, as always, by visiting www.rivercityrascals.com or by calling (636)-240-BATS.

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Frontier League Stories from July 26, 2014


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