REX Cruise To 10-3 Win Over Cape
Courtesy of the Cape Catfish:
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A first-inning grand slam was all REX Baseball needed Thursday night enroute to a 10-3 win over the Cape Catfish.
The game at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute got off to a good start for the Catfish when Jackson's Lane Crowden, a freshman at Three Rivers Community College, knocked a one-out single to left. The next batter, Southeast Missouri State's Ty Stauss, walked. But after he and Crowden executed a double steal to put them on second and third, Josh Cameron (SEMO State) struck out and Kolton Poorman (Three Rivers) grounded out to end the Catfish threat.
Crowden's single would turn out to be one of only four Cape hits on the night, the others coming in the ninth inning on singles by Andrew Sharp (West Virginia State University), Chris Hall (Florida State College at Jacksonville) and Cam Hill (Purdue) which scored Sharp.
REX designated hitter David Miller (University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana) drove in the first Terre Haute run in the bottom of the first with a two-out RBI single. Catfish starter Eli Brown (Lindenwood University) allowed the next two batters to reach on a single and a walk before REX first baseman Mason White (Indiana University) connected on his second home run of the season to give REX Baseball a 5-0 lead.
REX added a single run in the fifth on a solo home run by Indiana State University's Jordan Schaffer (his third of the season), making the score 6-0, before Cape dented the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, thanks to a three walks and an infield error.
The home team added four more tallies in the seventh with an RBI single, a sacrifice fly and a two-out, two-RBI double by White who finished the game with six runs batted in.
Brown (1-2) went five innings for the Catfish, giving up nine hits and six runs while striking out four and walking one. REX starter Aaron Chao (Eastern Illinois University) picked up the win, allowing one run and two Catfish runs over six innings while striking out eight and walking six. His record is now even at 2-2.
The loss was Cape's fifth consecutive, dropping the team's overall record to 14-24 and 2-5 in the second half of the Prospect League's summer season. With the win, the REX Baseball record improved to 24-15 overall and 5-4 in the league's second half.
From Terre Haute the Catfish travel to Danville, Illinois, to face the Danville Dans for a 6:30 p.m. game Friday. This will be the third time the Dans and Catfish have played each other with the Dans winning 12-3 July 1 and the Catfish winning 9-2 the following day.
The Catfish return to Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau Saturday for a 6:35 p.m. game against REX Baseball.