ALTON – The Roxana Shells weren’t bothered by a somewhat lengthy lightning delay Wednesday evening at Lloyd Hopkins Field.
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After the Marquette Explorers took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, the Shells answered with a single run in the top of the fourth, right before the game’s umpires called time due to lightning.
Rain rolled through, but the game resumed, and Roxana found a winning run in the top of the sixth.
Keller Jacobs led off the game with a single and quickly stole second base. He was moved over to third via Will Fahnestock’s groundout and then brought home by Joe Stephan’s RBI single.
It would prove to be Marquette’s only tally.
Explorers’ pitcher Drew Zacha put up three straight zeros and struck out the side in the second inning. He threw the whole game, 91 pitches, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out four and walking one.
Then Max Autery opened the fourth inning with a triple. Kael Hester then hit into a fielder’s choice right at Zacha, who hesitated just enough to allow the pinch runner Kadin Carlisle to score and tie the game.
While the Explorers were up to bat in the bottom of the fourth was when the game went into a lightning delay. When the game resumed, Roxana had a new arm out on the mound.
Mason Crump came in and pitched the final three innings for the win, striking out three along the way. Starting pitcher Landon Sitze went the first four innings with five Ks.
Despite losing, Marquette out-hit Roxana 6-5 in a game where runs were hard to come by.
The Shells improved to 16-6-1 while the Explorers lost their sixth out of their last seven, falling to 12-12 on the season.
