EDWARDSVILLE - Metro-East Lutheran graduate Erik Broekemeier hit a two-run homer as a part of a part of a three-run bottom of the fourth inning, and it turned out to be the winning runs as the Normal CornBelters scored six unanswered runs, including five in the seventh, in the Alton River Dragons' 10-8 win over Normal in a Prospect League baseball game played Sunday evening at Roy E. Lee Field in the Simmons Baseball Complex at SIU-Edwardsville.
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The win improved the River Dragons' second half record to 8-11, 21-24 overall, and remains in fourth place in the South Division of the Western Conference, in the league's split season, leading the fifth place Thrillville Thrillbillies of Marion, the division's first half winner, by a game-and-a-half, and trailing the first place O'Fallon, Mo., Hoots by two games, the second place Cape Catfish of Cape Girardeau, Mo. by a game-and-a-half, and the third place Jackson, Tenn., Rockaabillys by a half-game.
The CornBelters took the lead in the top of the second, via a sacrifice fly to right by Tyler Thompson, scoring Griffin Brown to give Normal a 1-0 lead. Alton tied the game in the home half when Cole Schrank scored on a wild pitch, drawing the River Dragons level at 1-1. A Zach Timon sacrifice fly to right scored Jordan Aguallo to give Alton the lead at 2-1, with Matthew Brown singling home Xian'en Zeng to increase the lead to 3-1.
In the third, Broekemeier doubled home Justin Santoyo to increase the lead to 4-1, and Schrank doubled home Broekemeier to increase the Alton lead to 5-1. Alex Mazetti scored on a wild pitch in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-2, and in the home half of the inning, Eli Hill doubled home both Timon and Brown, with Cooper Howell scoring on an error on the play to up the advantage to 8-2. Broekemeier then hit his two-run homer over the left field fence, scoring Hill ahead of him to give the River Dragons a 10-2 lead.
Normal scored a run in the top of the sixth on a Danny Infante RBI single that scored Brown to make it 10-3. The CornBelters rallied for five runs in the seventh, starting with a Judah Morris solo homer over the left field fence to cut the Alton lead 10-4, then Brown doubled home Will Jeske, a Mazetti RBI double scored Brown, and Zach Zychowski tripled home both Mazetti and Thompson to make the score 10-8, but there would be no further scoring as the River Dragons took the 10-8 win.
Broekemeier led the River Dragons with three hits and three RBIs, while Hill had a hit and two RBIs, both Schrank and Brown had a hit and RBI each, both Santoyo and Aguallo each had a hit, and Timon drove in a run.
I Hung Yeh was the starting pitcher, and also was credited with the win, going five innings, and allowed two unearned runs on six hits, walking one and striking out three, with Scott Detweiler working 1.2 innings, allowing six runs, three earned, on eight hits, fanning one, David Hedley went 1.1 innings, striking out one, and B. Brown pitched the final inning, walking one and striking out two.
The River Dragons have Monday off, then continue a home stand against the Burlington, Ia., Bees on Tuesday, hosting the Clinton, Ia., LumberKings on Wednesday, then play a home-and-home series against the Catfish on Thursday and Friday, the first game at home, and the second game at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau on Friday, all games starting at 6:35 p.m. The River Dragons then play a doubleheader on Saturday at home against O'Fallon, with the first game starting at 4:30 p.m., then conclude the week on Sunday with a home game against the Dubois County Bombers of Huntingburg, Ind., with the first pitch coming at 5:35 p.m.
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