River Dragons Come Back Late, But Fall To 9th Inning Grand Slam

ALTON - In what was their last game at Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park before a five-game road trip, the Alton River Dragons hosted the Pistol Shrimp of Illinois Valley Friday evening.

In a superb display on the mound, Illinois Valley’s Sebastian Gonzalez pitched six and a third, allowed an unearned run, and led the Pistol Shrimp for much of the game. The River Dragons staged an eighth-inning rally to tie the ballgame at four,

The first runs of the ballgame came when the visitors woke up in the fourth inning, as Jake Ferguson drove in two with a double, and Tobey Jackson drove in two more with a big fly to right field. Those four runs gave the Pistol Shrimp the lead for the majority of the night.

The River Dragons found their first run of the game on a throwing error on a steal attempt in the bottom of the fifth, which allowed Victor Heredia to score from second base. The bats were not too active for Scotty Scott’s River Dragons team on Friday night.

Again, that credit has to be given to the starting hurler for the visiting Pistol Shrimp, as Sebastian Gonzalez worked in quick innings, keeping River Dragons hitters off balance. Gonzalez worked through the seventh-inning stretch, facing and retiring one batter in the bottom half before having the ball taken from him.

In fact, it wasn’t until Gonzalez made his leave that the River Dragons' offense came to life. The River Dragons scored three in the eighth, two of which on an Erik Brockemeier two-run shot to right. The River Dragons were in business again, right when it mattered most.

With the score even at 4-4 heading into the ninth and what would be the final inning, River Dragons reliever Alex Rodriguez was tasked with having a clean inning so his guys would have a chance to win the ballgame in the bottom half.

That task proved to be too much Friday. Three straight Pistol Shrimp reached base, a single, a walk, and finally Jackson was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the pinch-hitting Nick Chavez.

Chavez jumped on a pitch from Rodriguez, one that flew well over the scoreboard and into the trees separating Lloyd Hopkins Field from the Spencer T. Olin Golf Course and untied the game in a big, big way.

The score was now 8-4, the River Dragons came up in the final inning to try to stage yet another late rally, but couldn’t create offense in the bottom of the ninth.

The River Dragons are now 8-13 on the Prospect League season, and are on a four-game skid. They open a five-game road trip Saturday at the Cape Catfish in Cape Girardeau and return home July 1, to host the Catfish.

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