The Hoptown Hoppers continued their late-season surge with a 14-4 victory over the Fulton Railroaders on Friday, winning for the eighth time in their last ten games and moving into a 2nd-place tie in the South Division.
It didn’t look promising for the Hoppers in the early going on Friday when the Railroaders took a 3-0 1st-inning lead on home runs by Ryan Callahan and Brady Holloway.
The Hoppers got a run back in their first at-bat on Drew Donaldson’s RBI single, but Fulton restored the three-run margin with another run in the 2nd.
Hoptown’s Zach Duenas and Chase Harlan combined on the mound to shut the Railroaders out the rest of the way. Duenas started and worked the first four frames, allowing three earned runs on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.
Harlan was lights out the rest of the way, pitching four shutout frames with a hit, a walk, and nine strikeouts.
The Hoppers’ comeback began with a pair of runs in the bottom of the 4th on RBI singles by Jacob Dupps and Sean Sullivan. Then, a four-run 6th put them in front for good, with Anthony Zarlingo and Josh Rodriguez doubling to drive in runs and Ren Tachioka adding an RBI single.
Zarlingo, Tachioka, Rodriguez, and Donaldson each drove in runs to blow the game open in the Hopper 7th. Leading 12-4, Hoptown ended the game an inning early on back-to-back RBI singles by Sullivan and Connor Cornwell with no outs in the bottom of the 8th.
Rodriguez. Donaldson and Sullivan each had three hits and drove in two runs, and Tachioka and Zarlingo both finished 2/4 with three RBI.
The Hoppers are at home again on Saturday to take on 1st-place Full Count Rhythm before going on the road for two of their final three regular-season games.
