Rucinski Goes Distance in 9-2 Win
August 29, 2012 - Frontier League (FL)
Rockford RiverHawks News Release
LOVES PARK, Ill. - Drew Rucinski pitched a complete game for the Rockford RiverHawks Wednesday, and they used a six-run seventh inning to beat the visiting Road Warriors 9-2.
Rucinski (7-4) threw 91 of his 135 pitches for strikes and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out eight batters. Rucinski's effort was the first Rockford complete-game win of the year and first since Brett Scarpetta went the distance against the Lake Erie Crushers on August 28, 2011.
"Drew did a great job for us tonight," manager Rich Austin. "He battled out there, and I'm happy for him. It was well-deserved."
Matt Greener's RBI groundout in the fifth inning gave Rockford a 3-2 lead. In the seventh inning, the RiverHawks sent 10 men to the plate and put up six runs off of relievers Kevin McGovern and Jon Jones. Greener's two-run single made it 5-2, and after Justino Cuevas was intentionally walked to loaded the bases, Mike Thomas broke the game open with a bases-clearing double that pushed the Rockford lead to 8-2. Thomas later scored on a Jon Jones wild pitch.
Road Warriors' starter Tyler Vaske (1-2) took the loss, giving up three runs in 5 1/3 innings.
RiverHawks' shortstop Ted Obregon led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, the second time he has hit a leadoff homer this season. The last time came on July 21 at home against the Traverse City Beach Bums.
Greener went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for Rockford, his third straight three-RBI game. Thomas also had a sacrifice fly and finished the night 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Trevor Whyte went 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 14 games, raising his batting average to .372.
The RiverHawks improved to 39-53, while the Road Warriors fell to 8-24.
The RiverHawks play their last home game of the year Thursday with the series finale against the Road Warriors. The probables on the mound are Warriors' Matt Schimpf (4-8, 5.59 ERA) and RiverHawks' Ziggie VanderWall (7-6, 5.40 ERA).
Thursday night is the final RiverHawks' home game of the year, Perry Rock $1 beer night, and American's Bring it Home Thursday. One lucky fan will walk away with a 40" 1080p LCD TV, courtesy of American.
The RiverHawks are members of the Frontier League, an independent professional baseball league in its 20th season. Games are broadcast on NTA-FM (100.5) Advertising and ticket information is available by calling (815) 885-2255. Fans can also visit www.rockfordriverhawks.com .
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