FL River City Rascals

Rascals get by Thunderbolts, 6-4

June 22, 2009 - Frontier League (FL)
River City Rascals News Release


O'FALLON, MO - Daniel Howard tossed seven innings of two run ball and Chad Maddox went 3-4 in a 6-4 victory over the ThunderBolts Monday night at T.R. Hughes Ballpark. The Rascals plated three unearned runs on two Windy City errors.

River City (19-10) scored two unearned runs in the third off Ross Stout for a 3-0 advantage. Scott Houin reached on an error by first baseman, Bryan Cook, and scored on a Chris Colton single. Maddox followed with a double to the gap to give the Rascals a 3-0 lead.

The Rascals took advantage of another ThunderBolt error in the sixth. This time Joe Billick led off the frame reaching on a Guillermo Martinez fielding error and advanced to second on single by Kevin Reynolds. After a Jorge Gutierrez sacrifice, Houin doubled down the left field line to score two more for a 6-1 advantage.

Windy City (17-13) didn't fade away, scoring three runs late to tighten the lead. Vinne Scarduzio led off the seventh with his sixth home run, a long blast over the wall in right field. The Bolts got two more in the eighth, scoring an unearned run of their own. Tyler Farrar reached on a Gutierrez error and scored on a Dan Jordan two run home run off Mike Hart.

Jason Lowey came on in the eighth to get the final out after Hart walked Scarduzio to bring up the tying run in J.T. Restko. Lowey induced a groundout and struck out the side in the ninth, after allowing a Cook leadoff single, for his sixth save.

Howard (2-2) benefited from the Windy City miscues, earning his second win. Howard allowed six hits and three runs with six strikeouts in his seven innings of work.

Maddox led the offensive with his three hits and two runs batted in, including a double in the fifth that put the Rascals in front 4-0.

Reynolds had a pair of hits and a run scored while Houin drove in a pair with his double in the sixth. The two also combined for three of the seven Rascal stolen bases, tying a season high.

The Rascals did make up for the errors, cutting down two runners on the bases, picking off another with a caught stealing thrown in for good measure. Colton gunned down Jordan at the plate in the third and stopped Nate Hall from stretching a single into a double in the second.

Windy City lost their pitching coach, Billy Bryk, in the in the top of the sixth after arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire. Manager Tommy Thompson wasn't far behind as the skipper was tossed in the bottom half for arguing a safe call at third base on a Houin steal. Thompson left in dramatic fashion, throwing in lineup card, pullover jacket, and hat on the infield as well as throwing second base over the head of the base umpire.

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Frontier League Stories from June 22, 2009


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