The Hoptown Hoppers played from behind all game and could never catch in dropping a 6-1 road decision at the Full Count Rhythm in Tennessee Friday.
The loss drops the Hoppers out of first place in the Ohio Valley League South standings for the first time this season.
The Hoppers outhit the Rhytmn 9-8 but four Hoptown errors helped extend a pair of innings.
Full Count jumped ahead with a two-run third inning with a wild pitch and sacrifice fly plating the two runs.
The Rhythm added a run in the fourth when a Kevin McCarthy single scored Drew Lowry.
Hoptown got on the board in the fifth when Anthony Zarlingo scored on a single by Josh Rodriguez. After Full Count answered with a run in the home half of the fifth, they got the insurance they needed in the eighth when Tyler Franks homered and Cooper Holbrook doubled home a run.
Luis Vergara remained hot at the plate for the Hoppers with his league-leading third double of the season in the ninth inning but was left stranded. The University of Indianapolis product is batting .345.
Rodriguez, who plays at Ranger College, had two more hits for the Hoppers to raise his season average to .394. Zarlingo also added a pair of hits for Hoptown.
Zach Duenas got saddled with the loss but didn’t pitch badly for the Hoppers, allowing three earned runs and six hits in five innings of work. He struck out six and walked one.
The Hoppers fall a full game behind Full Count in the OVL South standings at 5-3. Hoptown will play at second-place Franklin Saturday night and return to Hopkinsville for a three-game homestand Sunday against Fulton.
