The Hoptown Hoppers are getting hot at the right time. Cameron Hill doubled twice and scored twice to back the pitching of Drew McGowan as the Hoppers beat Paducah 5-3 Saturday at Brooks Stadium. The win was the fourth straight for the Hoppers and seventh in their last eight games.
The Hoppers got rolling early as Brant Husser led off the first inning with a single and scored on a Ben Huber double to right.
Hill’s first double of the night came in the second inning. Hill stole third base and with two outs, stole home as part of a double steal for a 2-0 Hoppers lead.
Hill’s second double came in the third inning and plated a pair of runs for a 4-0 Hopper advantage.
McGowan bounced back from a short outing earlier in the week with six innings of solid pitching. He scattered six hits and allowed two earned runs while striking out three in getting the win.
After Paducah got two runs in the fourth inning, the Hoppers tacked on an important insurance run in the fifth inning when Hill singled with two outs and scored on a Greg Mehlhaff double.
Chandler Kendall and Brennan Crooms slammed the door on the Chiefs with three innings of one-hit baseball. They struck out five and didn’t walk any with Crooms getting his fifth save of the season.
Husser also had three hits for the Hoppers, while Jacob Jenkins was 2-for-5 to keep his league-leading average at .424.
The Hoppers are now 21-11 and closing in on an OVL West title with a four-game lead over Paducah and a five-game advantage over Fulton.
Hoptown will play at Dubois County Sunday.
