Rascals blow nine-run lead; hang on for 12-10 win

The Rascals scored multiple runs in multiple innings in a single game for the first time since Aug. 1 while racing out to an 11-2 lead only to be outscored 8-1 over the final three innings. The Rascals hung on for a 12-10 win over the Road Warriors, Aug. 14, as Ben Magsig’s three-run home run bid fell into Jason Patton’s glove on the warning track in right-center.

River City (37-42) got a quality start from rookie Justin Sarratt (1-2) who picked up his first win as a professional after allowing just two runs on six hits in six innings with six strikeouts. The offense got on the board in the third inning.  Patton singled with one out before Jeremy Synan and Chris Andreas drew walks to load the bases for Curran Redal who bounced a grounder over the first baseman’s head for a two-run single.  Zach Deutscher followed with a three-run homerun to right-center, the second of his career, to take a 5-0 lead.

The Road Warriors (5-14) loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth and plated two runs to close within 5-2.

River City responded with three more runs in the fourth when Doug Sanders started the inning with a walk, advanced on a Patton single, and scored on a Synan single before Redal delivered another bases loaded two-run single following an error that loaded the bases to take a 8-2 lead.  That lead was stretched to 10-2 on a two-run homer from Charlie Lisk and stretched to 11-2 with a Deutscher sac-fly in the sixth.

The Rascal bullpen fell apart over the final three innings, with four pitchers walking nine batters over the final three innings helping the Road Warriors get back in the game.  An error started the top of the seventh and after a pair of strikeouts from Nick Kennedy, he issued a two-out walk that preceded a three-run homerun closed the gap to 11-5 before Jason Sullivan walked the first four he faced in the eighth inning.  Three of those four scored, two on a wild pitch and another on a past ball before Justin Gill struck out the side with the score 12-8.

Albert Ayala struggled with his control as well, walking two with one out before an RBI single from Cody Coffman was followed by another single and bases loaded walk that pushed a run in and moved the tying run to second.  Magsig drilled a pitch to right-center but Patton was playing near the four foot wall and hauled in the fly ball hit my Magsig the looked to be headed into the bullpen.