On a night when the temperature was in the mid-90s and the heat index in the 100s, the Hoptown Hoppers were hoping for flawless defense and short innings in the field. They got neither.
Owensboro jumped out to a 7-0 lead and went on to the 18-4 win in eight innings over the Hoppers Monday at Tiger Field.
The RiverDawgs racked up three doubles in the first three innings and took advantage of four Hopper errors in building the touchdown lead.
Hoptown got on the board in the home half of the third when Greg Lile singled, moved to third and scored on a wild pitch.
The Hoppers added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to get to within 8-3 but could draw no closer.
Owensboro scored nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings to claim the mercy-rule win.
The RiverDawgs, who picked up their first win Sunday after an 0-9 start, continued their plate success by outhitting the Hoppers 18-10.
Myles Beale and Logan Bland each had four hits, and Daaelin Adderly and Dylan Abbott drove in three runs for Owensboro.
The Hoppers got two hits apiece from Joshua Rodriguez and Luis Vergara. Five Hopper pitchers combined to throw 173 pitches ahead of two days of much-needed rest.
After a 3-1 start that culminated with a 16-inning win over Paducah, the Hoppers are 3-4 since. Hoptown is 6-5 and stands 2.5 games behind Full Count in the OVL South standings.
The hot weather also took its toll on the attendance with just 193 fans coming out to the ballpark — the second smallest home crowd in Hopper history. However, through five home games, the Hoppers are still averaging 383 fans for home games which is on pace for the best attendance in five years.
The Hoppers will host its youth camp Tuesday and Wednesday before hosting Paducah Thursday.
