Photo by John Morgan Francis
The Hoptown Hoppers hosted the Henderson Flash Thursday night at Colonel Field. The Flash traveled to Hopkinsville to find everything but the strike zone.
Flash pitchers found the zone less than 50% of the time, walking 14 batters and giving up 12 hits that all led to 15 Hopper runs. Their offense was competent (netting 12 hits and scoring 10 runs) but it wasn’t enough to overcome their struggles on the mound.
It was a scoreless first inning before the Flash quickly got a run on the board in the second.
Though Henderson struck first, Hoptown gladly took the favorable strike/pitch ratio and never looked back.
Hoptown put up 12 runs alone (their second 10+ run inning of the season) in the fourth and ultimately put the game out of reach.
Max Remy (twice), John Michael Reed (twice), Cord Johnson (twice), Black Jackson, Aidan Elias, Cody Hartness, Malik Blaise, John Keane and Cole Cummings all enjoyed crossing home plate in the inning.
Henderson made a viable attempt at a rally, scoring a run in the fifth, three in the sixth and five in the seventh before Hassan Westbrook took the mound for Hoptown and tossed two shutout innings to win the decision.
Hoptown added three runs down the stretch. Johnson scored again, this time in the sixth with Remy scoring again in the seventh followed by Tyler Graham also reaching home.
Johnson and Remy each had three runs for Hoptown but Cummings (3-4, 3 RBI, 2 BB & 1 run) led the way for the Hoppers.
Starting pitcher Brian Coffey earned his second win of the season after throwing five complete innings to strike out seven while allowing five hits and just two runs.
Brenden Boles (one hit, three walks and four earned runs) took the loss.
The Hoppers (6-1) will be back in action Friday night at Colonel Field as they take on the Fulton Railroaders (3-3). Hoptown won the season opener at Fulton, 20-4.
First pitch is set for 7 P.M.
