River City Rascals - Independent Professional Baseball

RASCALS RALLY FALLS ONE RUN SHORT

Loves Park, IL -- It was close, but close was not enough as a late rally by the River City Rascals fell one run short Thursday night at the hands of the Rockford RiverHawks, 6-5.

Brad Hough got the Rascals scoring going in the top of the first inning when his solo homerun gave River City a 1-0 lead, its first of the season.

The lead didn’t last through the end of the inning however as an error played a role in the outcome for the second straight night.

Rockford scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the first when Greg Stone’s off-balanced throw to first was unable to be dug out of the dirt by Andy Bettis with two outs. The throw allowed Joe Anthonsen to score. That run was follow by a single, a walk and a bases clearing double by Matt Borman.

The score stayed at 4-1 Rockford all the way until the eighth inning as both Rascals starter Jonathan Miller and RiverHawk starter Jim Paduch settled in.

Miller sat down 17 straight at one point and lasted into the seventh before being relieved by Armando Carrasco. Paduch fired seven innings of one run, one hit baseball.

In the eighth inning, River City loaded the bases with one out, all on base-on-balls from relief pitcher Josh Jarmann. Jarmann came out in favor of Roy Brigleson who struck out Stone for the second out. Hough then hit a slow dribbler down the third base line for an infield single, driving in a run to make the score 4-2. That would be all the Rascals got in the inning as Phil Laurent grounded out to end the inning.

Rockford added the first earned runs off the Rascals pitching staff in the bottom of the eighth when Jason James singled home a run. James’ base hit was followed by a Ryan McArdle sacrifice fly. Both runners who scored were walked to begin the inning.

Mike Marksbury, the career saves leader for the RiverHawks, came in to pitch the ninth with the score at 6-2. In a non-save situation the righthander surrendered a homerun to Bobby Mosby to begin the inning.

The Rascals then scored two more off the former Milwaukee Brewers farmhand. Jacob DeBoer stroked a single to left which scored Jeff Miller and Andrew Sweet, both whom were walked, making the score 6-5. Marksbury exited and in came rookie Mike DiBlasi. Chris Raniere would be brought in to pinch hit for Stone in the next at-bat and drew a full count walk, putting the tying run in score position for Hough. Hough’s heroics couldn’t continue however as the third baseman flew out to center field to end the game.

Padach (1-0) picked up the win for the RiverHawks (2-0). Miller (0-1) who struck out eight got the loss for the Rascals (0-2). DiBlasi (1) got the save in his professional debut. The two teams finish the three game series Friday night at Road Ranger Stadium with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. Danny Powers gets the start for River City.

5/22/08
River City 5, Rockford 6

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
River City	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	5	4	1
Rockford	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	X	6	4	0

River City	POS	AB	R	H	RBI	AVG
G. Stone	SS	4	0	0	0	.125
C. Raniere	PH	0	0	0	0	.000
B. Hough	3B	4	1	2	2	.375
P. Laurent	RF	4	0	0	0	.000
B. Mosby	DH	4	1	1	1	.286
J. Miller	LF	3	1	0	0	.000
A. Bettis	1B	4	0	0	0	.000
A. Sweet	CAT	2	2	0	0	.333
L. Barganier	CF	3	0	0	0	.000
J. Deboer	2B	2	0	1	2	.667
J. Miller	PIT	0	0	0	0	.000
A. Carrasco	PIT	0	0	0	0	.000
M. Benacka	PIT	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS		30	5	4	5

Rockford	POS	AB	R	H	RBI	AVG
J. Anthonsen	2B	3	2	1	0	.250
J. Brooks	SS	2	1	0	0	.286
J. James	DH	4	0	1	1	.222
R. McArdle	1B	3	1	0	2	.000
M. Mazurek	RF	4	1	1	0	.286
S. Pickerell	CAT	1	1	0	0	.000
M. Borman	LF	2	0	1	3	.500
B. Thomas	3B	2	0	0	0	.500
Thamann	PH/3B	1	0	0	0	.000
R. Kowalski	CF	3	0	0	0	.286
J. Paduch	PIT	0	0	0	0	.000
Jarman	PIT	0	0	0	0	.000
R. Bringelson	PIT	0	0	0	0	.000
M. Marksbury	PIT	0	0	0	0	.000
C. Diblasi	PIT	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS		25	6	4	6

E--G.Stone. DP--RIVER CITY 1, ROCKFORD 0. LOB--RIVER CITY 6, ROCKFORD 2. 2B--J.James (1), M.Borman (1). HR--B.Hough (1), B.Mosby (1). SB-- J.James (1). CS--B.Hough, J.James. HBP--M.Borman. SF--R.McArdle. SH--J.Brooks.

River City	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
J. Miller (L, 0-1)	6.1	3	4	0	2	8	0	0.00
A. Carrasco	0.2	0	2	2	2	0	0	27.00
M. Benacka	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00

Rockford	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
J. Paduch (W,1-0)	7.0	1	1	1	2	6	1	1.29
Jarman	0.1	0	1	1	3	1	0	27.00
R. Bringelson	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
M. Marksbury	0.2	2	3	3	2	1	1	40.50
C. Diblasi (S,1)	0.1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.00

WP--M.Marksbury. HB--J.Miller. SO--G.Stone 2, P.Laurent, J.Miller 2, A.Bettis, A.Sweet, L.Barganier 2, J.Brooks, J.James, R.McArdle, M.Mazurek 2, S.Pickerell, M.Borman, B.Thomas, Thamann. BB--C.Raniere, B.Hough, J.Miller, A.Sweet 2, L.Barganier, J.Deboer 2, J.Anthonsen, J.Brooks, S.Pickerell 2.

Time: 3:02, Attendance: 2,195