FL River City Rascals

Rascals Split Doubleheader with Freedom

Published on August 9, 2014 under Frontier League (FL)
River City Rascals News Release


The Rascals split a doubleheader with the Florence Freedom Friday, winning the first matchup and dropping the second. Each team used a big inning to get their wins, and the Rascals emerged the victors in the series, having taken two of three from the Freedom at TR Hughes.

Bryce Shafer went to the mound to start for the Rascals in game one. Making his first appearance in almost two weeks, Shafer was sharp. He faced just twelve men in his first three innings of work. Walks were his only issue. He would finish his afternoon having given out three of them in five innings of work.

The game was scoreless until the fifth, when the Freedom finally punched through. They strung together a two-out rally that featured two hits and an HBP. The RBI was picked up by 3B Sam Eberle, who sent a singled to center to bring in Cole Miles and make it a 1-0 game.

The Rascals got that one back immediately, with Johnny Morales coming home on an RBI single by Brian McConkey. In the sixth, Curran Redal drove Freedom starter Dave Middendorf from the contest by leading off with a single. The Rascals would eventually load the bases against Middendorf's reliever, Chris Squires, who would bring in Redal by walking Johnny Morales. After a sacrifice fly by Saxon Butler made it a 3-1 contest, John Myers really broke things open by launching a three-run homerun to give the Rascals a comfortable cushion. They would go on to win, 7-4.

After a forty-five minute break, the two teams met again. Tommy Mendoza went to the hill for the Rascals and struggled from the outset, giving up a solo blast to Eberle in the first frame. His offense had his back to begin though, scoring twice on a two-RBI double by Saxon Butler to quickly reclaim the lead in the bottom of the first.

Things just got worse for Mendoza however. They would tag him for four runs on three hits in the second and then drive him from the game in the third. Mendoza finished with an uncharacteristic line of 2.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 K, 0 BB.

Michael O'Neal, the starter for the Freedom, struggled early, pitching into the fifth. He would finish having given up four runs, the most resounding of which came to his ex-teammate Joe Staley, who took him yard for a solo shot to begin the fifth inning.

The Rascals had their opportunities late but failed to capitalize. Trailing by five in the bottom of the sixth, they loaded the bases with just one out. Unfortunately, Steve Carrillo and Hector Crespo both struck out against closer Ed Kohout and the threat was neutralized. The Freedom would go on to win, 9-4.

The Rascals now stand at 44-28. They hit the road Saturday for Evansville, where they will begin a 3-game set with the Otters starting at 6:35 pm.

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Frontier League Stories from August 9, 2014


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