The Hoptown Hoppers could be headed into the Ohio Valley League playoffs as one of the most dangerous teams in the league. The Hoppers used a three-run eighth inning to come from behind Thursday night at Dubois County and take an 8-7 win over the Bombers. The win was the 7th in the last nine games for the Hoppers.
The rally for the Hoppers in the eighth came with two outs and Hoptown trailing 7-5. After a single by Jacob Dupps and then a walk, William Spear connected for an RBI single to cut the lead to 7-6. After another walk, Ren Tachioka was hit by a pitch to even the score at 7-7. Josh Rodriguez would then come through with the game-winning hit on a single that drove in the go-ahead run putting the Hoppers up 8-7.
Aaron Moss, who would get the credit for the win, then pitched the final two innings for Hoptown, giving up just one hit, striking out one, and walking none, to close out the game.
The game was an offensive battle from the beginning. The Hoppers scored one in the first and two in the second to take a 4-0 lead.
Dubois County came back with three in the second and two in the third to go up 5-4.
Luis Vergara-Schoonewolf hit a home run to left in the top of the fifth to tie the game up at 5-5. But, the Bombers came right back in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff home run to go back up 6-5. Dubois County added a run on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 7th to extend the lead to 7-5, setting up the Hoppers late game rally.
Ren Tachioka had a big night for the Hoppers, going 2-4 with a home run, a double, and 4 RBIs. Luis Vergara-Schoonewolf, Jacob Dupps, Sean Sullivan, and William Spear, all had two hits in the game for Hoptown.
Both teams were tagging the ball Thursday night, combining for 26 hits in the contest. Hoptown had 12, while Dubois County finished the game with 14.
In addition to the closeout from Moss on the mound, the Hoppers got solid relief efforts from Jacob Dilday and Chase Harlan.
