DECATUR, IL– The Hoots kept it close, but Decatur ended up pulling away in the eighth. The Bean Ballers rode a 7-run eighth inning to victory as the Hoots lost their third in a row by the score of 12-5.
Top Performers:
Ethan Cantareira- 2-5, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI
Jake McGhee- 2-4, 1 2B, 2 Rs, 1 RBI
Noah Jones- 3.2 IP, 1 H, 2 Ks, 2 BBs
How it Happened:
The Hoots kept it a close game as long as possible. Decatur struck first, with center fielder Matthew Novominsky hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the first. O’Fallon would respond, with left fielder Ethan Cantareira hitting his own solo shot to tie the game in the top of the second as part of a day which also included a triple.
Decatur would take the next few innings to expand their lead, going up 4-1 in the third on RBI hits by Oneill Feliz and Jagger Snitko. They would then extend it to 5-1 on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Snitko in the fourth.
The Hoots would fight back, however. Brady Vessels continued his strong season with an RBI single in the fifth. John Connors would add his own RBI single in the seventh to make the score 5-3. Then in the eighth, O’Fallon would tie. Nick Steurer beat out a double play to drive in a run on a fielders choice, and Jake McGhee added to his impressive day by singling to right field to tie the score at 5-5.
However, the Hoots pitching faltered in the bottom of the inning. Two walks, two wild pitches, a double and a balk ultimately doomed the Hoots as Decatur pushed across 7 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to bring the score to 12-5.
O’Fallon got a man on in the ninth to lead off the ninth, but ultimately could not drive him in as the Hoots dropped to 1-3 on the season.
The Hoots will face the Thrillville Thrillbillies on Saturday and Sunday at Carshield Field, trying to extract a bit of revenge from the 8-3 loss they suffered in Marion on Wednesday, May 27th.
Tickets for O’Fallon Hoots games can be purchased here, while any and all away games can be viewed through the Home Team Network by checking out the schedule here.
