The Hoptown Hoppers squeezed a pair of runs out of only two hits on Tuesday against visiting Madisonville, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Miners in a 5-2 defeat.
Jace Parnin was strong on the mound for the Miners, holding the Hoppers hitless until Gavin Lake singled in the bottom of the 5th. Hadley Smith’s RBI double was the only run Parnin allowed before exiting after giving up two hits with four walks and four strikeouts over eight innings.
The Miners broke through in the 3rd against Hoppers’ starter Dalton Sisson when Kadin Ray drove in the first of two runs with a two-out single.
Madisonville added a pair of runs in the top of the 8th after starting the inning with a pair of walks and a Ray single. Payton Stephenson’s fly ball to deep center brought in a run, and the Miners made it 4-1 with a run on a passed ball.
Trailing 5-1 after Brady Cooper’s RBI double in the Miner half of the 9th, Hoptown got a run back when Kolby Webb grounded out to bring in Colton Lovelace. Down to their last out, the Hoppers brought the tying run to the plate with runners on second and third, but a ground out ended the game.
Sisson took the loss for Hoptown, allowing four earned runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Easton Barnett worked two innings in relief, giving up an earned run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Ray finished 3/4 at the plate as the Miners improved to 15-9, a half-game behind the league-leading Paducah Chiefs.
The Hoppers slipped to 10-14 with their second loss in a row. Up next is a visit from Paducah on Wednesday, followed by a trip to Fulton on Thursday.
