After beginning the season with three straight defeats, the Hoptown Hoppers appear to be finding their footing with a 13-5 victory at Madisonville on Friday for their second win in a row.
The Hoppers avenged an earlier 4-1 loss to the Miners behind four-RBI night for Kolby Webb that included a fifth-inning grand slam.
Hoptown got out in front on Max Martin’s RBI double in the top of the 2nd before the Miners answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Payton Stephenson doubled in a run and Preston Bedford followed with an RBI single for Madisonville.
A four-run 6th put the Hoppers in front for good, highlighted by a two-run double by Hadley Smith. After a bases-loaded walk and a hit-by-pitch brought in a pair of runs in Hoptown’s next at-bat, Webb blew the game open with a shot to left field to clear the bases and stretch the lead to 12-2.
Stephenson drove in two runs with a double and the Miners trimmed the deficit to 12-5 after six innings before the Hoppers tacked on a final run on Max Martin’s RBI single in the top of the 8th.
Dalton Sisson started on the mound for the Hoppers and earned the win, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
Smith joined Webb with two hits and drove in three runs for the Hoppers and Martin also hit safely twice with two RBI.
Christian Howe suffered the loss for the Miners, giving up four earned runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout over three and a third innings.
Hoptown will look to extend its winning run with a trip to face the Paducah Chiefs on Saturday before hosting the Fulton Railroaders on Sunday.
