River Dragons Blast Out To Early 5-0 Lead, Roll To 10-6 Win Over Pistol Shrimp, Return Home Wednesday

PERU, Ill. - The Alton River Dragons jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and didn't look back in going on to a 10-6 win over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp to earn a split of a two-game series Tuesday evening at Schweikert Stadium in Peru, Ill.

The win ended a five-game losing streak for Alton and gave them their first win of the second half of the Prospect League split season. The win also made also improved their overall record to 10-18 on the season.

The River Dragons started off in the first inning with a three-run homer by Erik Broekemeier of Metro-East Lutheran, his seventh of the season, and in the second, Eli Hoerner reached on an error by the shortstop that allowed Tyler Martin to score and Jake O'Steen hit into a double play, but Bryer Arview of Civic Memorial crossed the plat to give Alton a 5-0 lead. In the home half of the fourth, Jake Ferguson's sacrifice fly to left scored Ryan Bakes to cut the lead to 5-1, but in the top of the fifth, O'Steen's two-run double extended the River Dragons' lead to 7-1.

The Pistol Shrimp rallied in the bottom of the sixth when, after a lineout back to the pitcher by Louis Perona, Bakes scored on an error and a RBI single by Logan Delgado cut the lead to 7-3. In the bottom of the seventh, a solo homer by Zach Lane, a sacrifice fly to left by Perona and a RBI single by Ferguson brought Illinois Valley to within 7-6, but a key two-run single by Brokemeier and a RBI single by O'Steen in the top of the eighth helped Alton to their final 10-6 win.

Broekemeier led the way for the River Dragons with two hits and five RBIs, while O'Steen had two hits and three RBIs and Dominic Decker, Diego Murillo, Hoerner, Tyson Greene, Martin and Kaden Byrne all had hits. Jackson Parrill of Collinsville started on the mound and was credited with the win, going five innings and giving up one run on four hits, walking two and striking out five, Alex Rodriguez threw one inning, allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits, walking three and fanning one, Reardon appeared on the mound and gave up a run without a hit, walking the only batter he faced, Luke Gasser pitched the seventh and allowed only a hit, the eighth was thrown by Victor Heredia, who also allowed just one hit and Greene pitched the ninth, allowing a hit while striking out two.

The River Dragons return home to Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park to face the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes in a two-game series Wednesday and Thursday, both games starting at 6:35 p.m., then meet the Danville Dans in a home-and-home series, the first game at Danville on Friday at 6:30 p.m., then play the return game at Alton Saturday at 6:35 p.m., with the week ending on Sunday with a doubleheader at the Quincy Gems, the two games starting at 5 and 7:30 p.m.

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