James' hit streak at 20 as RiverHawks win
Published on June 22, 2009 under Frontier League (FL)
Rockford RiverHawks News Release
LOVES PARK, Ill. - Jason James swung his way into another couple pages of the Rockford RiverHawks' record book on Monday.
The fourth-year left fielder singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to a team-record 20 games, but he wasn't close to done. James added a double and three more singles and tied a single-game team record with a five-hit night as the RiverHawks beat Evansville, 10-5.
James' protection in the order, cleanup hitter Todd Martin, was 3-for-4 with three RBI, in front of a standing room-only crowd of 4,116 at Road Ranger Stadium. Martin doubled in a run to break a scoreless tie in the bottom of the first inning. Ross McCoy followed with a sacrifice fly and Aaron Cone singled in a two-out run as Rockford took a 3-0 lead.
In the second inning, Caleb Fields homered to left and James doubled in a run with two outs. In the fourth, Martin doubled in James with two outs to stretch the lead to 6-0.
James' streak has outlasted the 19-game streaks of Ben Fjelland in 2002 and Aaron McEachran in 2005 as the longest in team history. On Monday, he became the eighth RiverHawk to record a five-hit game, but just the fourth to go 5-for-5.
Rockford starter Jay Monti (3-3) struck out six and pitched into the sixth inning to earn the win. Monti had a shutout until the sixth, when the Otters rallied for three runs. Dustin Koca led off the inning with a single and scored on an error. Kevin Mackey added a two-run double.
Evansville starter John Ducey (1-3) gave up nine runs on 12 hits over 5 1/3 innings.
The RiverHawks have a chance to complete a three-game series sweep at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday. An anonymous sponsor has bought out the stadium and has offered tickets to all area churches and faith-based organizations. Standing room-only seats remain. Christian group The TLC Praise Band will perform pregame and postgame concerts.
The RiverHawks are members of the Frontier League, a 12-team independent professional baseball league in its 17th season. The RiverHawks host the 2009 Frontier League All-Star Game at 7:05 p.m. on July 15. Advertising and ticket information is available by calling (815) 885-2255. Fans can also visit the RiverHawks online at www.rockfordriverhawks.com. Most games are broadcast live on ESPN 1380, and on the team website.
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