The Hoptown Hoppers will have to win tonight or their 2025 Ohio Valley League season will come to an end.
The host Full Count Rhythm grabbed an early lead and pulled away late for a 7-1 win over the Hoppers Tuesday night in Game 1 of their best-of-three semifinal series.
OVL Most Valuable Player John Paul Head slammed a solo home run as part of a two-run first inning as the Rhythm grabbed a 2-0 lead. For Head, it was his ninth home run of the year and the fifth against the Hoppers.
Hoptown drew within 2-1 in the top of the third as Dom Bello walked. After Full Count pitcher Chase Fernandez got the next two batters out, he walked three straight to force in Bello.
Full Count (26-12) pushed its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third as Head drew a one-out walk. After a single, he came in to score on a wild pitch.
Joe King started the game on the mound for the Hoppers (17-22), but was replaced at the start of the fourth inning by former Trigg County star Aidon Butts. Butts was superb, tossing four innings of no-hit baseball and keeping the Hoppers in the game on only 48 pitches.
Hoptown had runners in scoring position nearly every inning, despite only having three hits in the game. The Hoppers drew 11 walks and left eight runners in scoring position.
Full Count put the game out of reach with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cody Jones failed to record an out while giving up two hits and walking three and hitting a batter.
Bello, Myles Denton, and Owen Hutcheson had the only hits in the game for Hoptown, which saw its first four batters go 0-for-15 in the game.
Tonight’s game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Airtime is 6:15 p.m. on 95.3 The Farm and 953thefarm.com. A Rhythm win will send Full Count to the championship series and end the Hoppers’ season. However, a Hoptown victory will send the series to a deciding Game 3 on Thursday in Hendersonville, Tenn.
In the other semifinal on Tuesday night, Paducah defeated Fulton 6-2. That series also will resume tonight at Fulton.
Score by Innings:
Hoptown Hoppers 010 000 000 – 1 3 1
Full Count Rhythm 201 000 04x – 7 5 1
WP – Vaught
LP – King
Leading Hitters: Hoptown – Bello, Denton, Hutcheson
File Photo