Photo by John Morgan Francis
The Hoptown Hoppers kicked off their season with a 20-4 win to spoil the Fulton Railroaders’ season opener. Friday night, Fulton traveled to Hopkinsville and met their match once again, 13-5.
Hoptown took the lead in the first inning, quickly loading the bases that led to three scored runs.
Fulton came back with a run of their own in the second.
Hoptown responded in the third with four consecutive runs to extend their lead to 7-1.
First, Tyler Graham scored Cody Hartness on a sac-fly. Next, John Michael Reed drove in Matt Keane with an RBI-single. Though Max Remy grounded out, Davis Keller managed to reach home plate. The last run came by MJ Rookard’s RBI-single that scored Reed.
Hoptown added two more in the fourth, first by a Keane RBI-single that drove in Blake Jackson and then a RBI-single by Graham that scored Hartness.
Jackson went yard in the fifth to also score Rookard and Cord Johnson.
Fulton answered in the sixth and in the eighth with home runs of their own to put four runs on the board. However, it wasn’t enough to rally as Reed scored once more in the eighth and Graham retired three batters in the ninth to win the decision.
Leading the way for Hoptown was Jackson, going 3-4 at the plate with a homer and four RBI. Hartness, Jackson, Johnson, Reed and Rookard all had two runs a piece.
Starting pitcher Trey Fields earned the win by going six full innings and allowing just two runs with a strikeout.
Hayden Fox (five walks and seven runs) took the loss.
Hoptown (7-1) will travel to Madisonville tomorrow night to take on the Miners. The Hoppers are 2-0 against them this season.
First pitch is set for 7 P.M.
