With neighborhood fireworks heard in the distance throughout the game, it was the Hoptown Hoppers who provided their own fireworks on Wednesday. Konner Scheidt’s pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth inning lifted the Hoppers to a 9-5 win over the Madisonville Miners at Elmer Kelley Stadium.
The blast over the right field fence for the IU Southeast freshman came as part of a five-run inning that saw the visitors erase a 5-2 deficit.
WATCH KONNER SCHEIDT’S GRAND SLAM GIVE THE HOPPERS THE LEAD
Chance Sweeney (Auburn University Montgomery) led off the eighth with a single, and Dom Bello (Anderson) followed with one of his three hits on the night. After a walk to pinch hitter Aidon Butts (Dyersburg State), Scheidt took a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall to give the Hoppers a 6-5 lead.
The Hoppers, who have struggled at times this season to score with the bases loaded, quickly packed the sacks after the grand slam on three consecutive walks and added an insurance run when Cole Reynolds (IU Southeast) was hit by a pitch to force in a run.
The Hoppers tacked on two more runs in the ninth when a dropped pop-up by the Miners plated a pair.
Zach Hampton (Mary-Hardin-Baylor) got the win in relief for the Hoppers, pitching six scoreless innings and striking out seven. He walked only two batters – both in the ninth inning – and scattered four hits.
Madisonville scored three times in the first inning when Noah Berning (Bishop State CC) scored Pete Britton (Oakland City) on a sacrifice fly. A throwing error on a ground ball added two more runs for the Miners.
The Hoppers loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning and plated one on a single by Carson Tucker (Hillsdale) before a double play ended the scoring threat.
Dominic Maldet (Montevallo) and Justin Early (Frontier) added RBI singles in the third inning to extend the Miners’ lead to 5-2.
Travis Kellums (IU Southeast) got the no-decision for the Miners, allowing two earned runs and three hits over six innings. He struck out 11 and walked just three. However, the Miners’ bullpen walked five and allowed seven runs on four hits over the final three frames.
Sweeney joined Bello in the multiple hit parade for the Hoppers with a pair of singles and a stolen base.
Britton, Coulter Hamilton (IU Southeast), Ian Cartwright (Montevallo), and Dylan Toler (Kentucky Wesleyan) each had two hits for the Miners (8-18), who have dropped three straight.
The win was Hoptown’s first this season at Elmer Kelley Stadium in three trips. They evened their all-time mark at the historic stadium to 22-22. Hoptown (10-16) finds itself three games behind Fulton for fourth place in the Ohio Valley League and two games ahead of Madisonville.
The Miners will host Henderson on Thursday in a makeup game from June 17, while the Hoppers host the Full Count Rhythm for a July 4 game at Christian County’s Colonel Field.
