A Hoppers rally fell just short as the Ohio Valley League regular season came to an end Tuesday night in Hopkinsville.
The Madisonville Miners held on to beat the Hoppers 8-7 in a league playoff preview. The Miners and Hoppers begin a three-game series Friday night at Hopkinsville High School.
Hoptown (25-13) fell behind 6-0 after two innings. Twice the Hoppers rallied within a single run before the Miners (13-25) held on for the win.
Hoptown, the OVL West Division champion, scored once in the bottom of the ninth inning to get within 8-7 and loaded the bases with two outs before a strikeout ended the game.
The Hoppers outhit the Miners 10-7 with Michael Conn going 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs batted in while Greg Mehlhaff was 3-for-5 and knocked in two.
Ben Teel was 3-for-4 with a homer and knocked in three for the Miners.
The first round playoff series begins Friday night in Hopkinsville. Game two will be played in Madisonville on Saturday. A third game, if necessary, would be back in Hoptown on Sunday.