Hoots Kick Off Last Road Trip of 2023 With Loss

Ferguson and Long go deep

With the end of the regular season rapidly approaching, the O’Fallon Hoots (24-24, 9-12) made the short trek east to face the Alton River Dragons (18-31, 9-14). At the end of the night, the squad from Alton stood victorious, downing the Hoots by a score of 8-4. 

Inside the Box Score

• Tyler Ferguson led the way for the Hoots, compiling three RBIs on two hits and one home run. 
• Michael Long used the long ball to drive in an RBI for the Hoots. 
• Tanner Mueller and Caiden Otte combined for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief pitching while striking out seven. 

How it Happened

• Alton struck first in the bottom of the second. With two runners in scoring position, Bryer Arview doubled to drive in the game’s first two runs, putting the River Dragons up 2-0 early. 
• The bulk of Alton runs came in the fourth. Evan Evola led the inning off with a homer to up the River Dragon lead to 3-0. After two outs, Alton loaded the bases. Diego Murillo drew a walk to score one run, and Drake Westcott singled to plate another. Following an O’Fallon pitching change, Erik Broekemeier launched a ball into the outfield stands to drive in another three, making the score 8-0. 
• O’Fallon found some offense in the next inning. With Cameron Hailstone on base, Tyler Ferguson knocked a ball out of the park to score two runs. Two batters later, Michael Long used a solo shot to plate another Hoots run, cutting the lead down to 8-3. 
• In the seventh, Maloy Heaghney walked to lead off the inning. Ferguson collected his third RBI via a double to score Heaghney, bringing the Hoots within four, 8-4. This would be the last run of the night however, finalizing the score at 8-4.

Up Next

The road trip continues tomorrow for the Hoots, who travel to Normal, Ill., to take on the Cornbelters. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CST, and coverage for the contest can be found at ofallonhoots.com, as well as the team’s Twitter (@ofallonbaseball) and Instagram (ofallonhoots).