O’FALLON, MO– The Hoots ended the regular season on a high note, extending their winning streak to six after a 7-5 victory over the Normal Cornbelters. O’Fallon will look to carry that momentum into their first round matchup against the Cape Catfish tomorrow.
Top Performers:
Carson Ramos- 2-2, 1 3B, 2 Rs, 3 BBs, 1 RBI
Nick Steurer- 2-3, 1 2B, 3 BBs, 1 R
Christian Harvey- 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 Ks, 1 Save
How It Happened:
It was a close game throughout, but O’Fallon held on for a gritty win against the Normal Cornbelters in the final game of the regular season.
The Hoots jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a Carson Ramos triple, followed by a Jaiden Glency RBI sacrifice fly. The Cornbelters would get those runs right back, however, on a two-run home run by Eli Kieser to even the score.
O’Fallon then scored four unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth. John Connors had an RBI groundout, followed by a William Zareh RBI single. Jaiden Glency was later hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make the score 5-2 after four innings. The Hoots added another run in the fifth on an RBI sacrifice fly by William Zareh.
The Cornbelters never quite went away, however. Braeden Barber had an RBI groundout in the sixth to make the score 6-3. After the Hoots got a run on a wild pitch in the sixth, the score was 7-3. But the Cornbelters kept at it, scoring one on an RBI double in the seventh and an RBI walk in the eighth to draw closer and make the score 7-5.
But the Hoots hung on in an exciting ninth inning. Christian Harvey, just added to the roster, was nails in his one and a third inning of work. He was helped by his defense, with Griffin Brown making a tremendous catch in center with two men on to get the first out. After loading the bases with two outs, Harvey struck out Gavin Michaels to earn the save and end the game in a 7-5 Hoots win.
The Hoots are in the playoffs, and they face off against the Cape Catfish in Cape Girardeau tomorrow. If they beat the Catfish, they will host a playoff game on Tuesday.
