Due to weather, the Hoptown Hoppers had an extra off-day to prepare for Wednesday’s double header against the Dubois County Bombers. After blowing a lead late in the first game to lose 6-5, the Hoppers gathered themselves to grind out a 4-3 win in the second game of the double header.
For the first of the two, it was a quick first couple of innings for both teams as they combined for just three hits.
The Hoppers hit the board in the third, though, when Cord Johnson singled to drive in Tyler Graham.
Hoptown followed suit in the fourth when Davis Keller scored off a Dubois error.
Dubois managed to tie it back up in the fifth, however, putting up two runs.
Hoptown didn’t waste any time in starting the game of tug-of-war, taking the lead back when Nick Proto doubled to drive in Johnson for his first RBI of the season.
They added their second of the inning and fourth of the game when Proto then scored on a wild pitch.
Trailing 4-2, the Bombers wouldn’t go away. They put up two more in the fifth to tie the game once more.
With the crowd on their seats, they anxiously watched OVL All-Star Blake Jackson walk to the plate, his team tied with Dubois at 4-each but with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Jackson had struck out in his first three at-bats, so what came next wasn’t all that surprising.
Jackson sent a dinger way over the fence to retake the lead and send the crowd to their feet.
All hope had been restored until Dubois benefited from a sixth-inning call at third base that lead to the tying and go-ahead runs.
Hoptown fought but went down swinging in the seventh to drop the first game, 6-5.
Hassan Westbrook took the loss for the Hoppers.
Ryan Luckett earned the win.
Christian County graduate, Kolby Silvy, made the start and went 4.1 innings to give up five hits, four runs and three walks while also fanning three.
Jackson’s homer was his seventh of the season, tying him for the lead in the Ohio Valley League.
For the second outing, Hoptown followed suit by getting on the board first.
However, they didn’t waste any time doing so. Cole Cummings led the inning off with a single and MJ Rookard grounded out but not before Cummings scored, taking a 1-0 lead.
Hoptown built their lead in the second, as Cummings doubled to drive in Max Remy.
In the next at-bat, Rookard doubled to score Cummings, again.
Dubois didn’t fall down, though, scoring two of their own in the third.
In the fourth, the Bombers tied the game on a sac-fly.
However, Hoptown regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Cummings grounded out to drive in Remy, again, which ended up being the winning run.
Jaxon Herchenbach earned the win in relief, pitching 4.1 innings to give up five hits but just one run while walking two and fanning three.
Jack Anderson (five innings, seven hits, four runs, six strikeouts and three walks) took the loss.
For the Hoppers, Cummings, Remy and Rookard were the entire offense.
Cummings went 2-4 at the plate for a single, double, RBI and two runs scored.
Remy went 1-2 with a single but also drew a walk and scored two runs.
Rookard, going 1-3, had a double but also two RBI.
The Hoppers (13-8) will host the Paducah Chiefs (11-12) Thursday night with first pitch set for 7 P.M.