Hoots Take High-Scoring Affair Against Jackson

25 combined runs in the ballgame

O’FALLON, IL- The O’Fallon Hoots hosted Prairie Land Division rival the Jackson Rockabillies at CarShield Field on Tuesday, July 18. The Hoots started the night comfortably leading by as many as seven runs through five innings of play, Jackson scored eight unanswered to take the lead. Down to their final out the O’Fallon offense rallied in the eighth inning to retake the lead and win the ballgame 13-12. 

Inside the Box Score

• Nick Harms and Maloy Heaghney each hit home runs.
• Tyler Ferguson had a two-hit two-RBI night.
• Zach Beatty, Jack Meyer and Tucker Platt all have multi-hit performances
• Sam Feltz records save No.5 on the season.

How it Happened

• Heaghney started the game off with a bang as he drove an opposite-field solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
• Harms added four more runs in the bottom of the second inning, as he hit a grand slam to make it a 5-0 ballgame.
• Jackson responded in the top of the third inning with four runs of their own. An RBI single by Aydan Hamilton got the Rockabillies on the board before James Denten belted a three-run home run to cut the O’Fallon lead to 5-4.
• In the bottom of the third inning, the Hoots got a run back as Drew Politte singled and Ferguson came around to score following a fielding error.
• In the bottom of the fourth inning, the O’Fallon offenses added two insurance runs in the frame. Beatty picked up an RBI single to score Harms. Later in the inning, Gavin Baldwin walked with bases loaded to score Platt from third base.
• The Hoots offense continued to add in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ferguson hit a two-run single to score Meyer and Platt. Beatty came around to score in the inning on a wild pitch, stretching the O’Fallon lead to 11-4.
• Jackson stayed in the ballgame with two runs in the top half of the sixth inning. A pair of RBI hits from Denten and Mason Krznarich made it an 11-6 game.
• The Rockabillies kept hammering away in the top of the seventh inning, as Brandon Valdez hit a two-run home run to make it an 11-8 score. 
• After chipping away for several innings, the Rockabillies broke through for four runs to take a 12-11 lead. A pair of RBI infield singles from Valdez and Bryce Dreher cut the deficit to one run before Griffin Cameron drove in the tying and go-ahead run.
• O’Fallon retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning with a pair of runs. Matthew Arnold drove in the tying run, Beatty on an infield single. The ultimate winning run, Ferguson would score on a wild pitch to make it 13-12.

Up Next
The Hoots remain home at CarShield Field to take on the Cape Catfish for a doubleheader on Thursday, July 20. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. CST. Coverage can be found at ofallonhoots.com, as well as the team’s Twitter (@ofallonbaseball) and Instagram (ofallonhoots).