Team News

The Lexington Snipes (3-4) traveled to the Dog Pound on Saturday evening to face the DuPage Hounds (7-0) for the first time this season. The two Midwest Collegiate League teams battled throughout the first five innings of the game, but the Hounds slowly pulled away with the victory as the game progressed from there.

The game appeared to be a pitching battle early, as Matthew James, the starting pitcher for the Snipes, battled against the high-powered offense of the Hounds. On the other hand, Pat Cashman was on the mound for the home team, and after striking out four of the first seven batters he faced, Cashman was grooving early as well.

The Hounds’ offense struck first in this game. After Emerson Misch lead off the second inning with a walk, he was brought home for the first run of the game when Alex Cain drove him in with a triple.

Following the Hounds’ run in the bottom of the second, the Snipes started off the third inning with a single from Ryan Frye. Frye would later advance to third after a throwing error committed by Cashman allowed Austin Smith to not only get on base, but move over to second. After the error, Chris Maranto hit a sacrifice fly to right field, which allowed Frye to score and tie the game for the Snipes.

This was the only light that the Snipes’ offense would see. After scoring their lone run in the third, the Snipes were only able to collect four more hits throughout the rest of the game, and they were unable to get another run across home plate.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Hounds’ offense put another run on board when Emerson Misch and Frankie Perrone executed the delayed double steal perfectly. When Misch took off for second base, a throw down to second from Jake Capco, the catcher for the Snipes, allowed Perrone to take off from third and capture the lead for the Hounds.

After taking a 2-1 lead through six, the Hounds would hold onto the lead for the remainder of the game. In the seventh inning, the Hounds were able to score two more runs after four hits and a defensive error by the Snipes lead to Clayton Johannes and Connor Kopach scoring for the home team.

The Hounds would add to their 4-1 lead in the eighth inning when Alex Cain scored on a passed ball.

Cashman was removed from the game after four innings, but a strong bullpen for the Hounds carried the team to a victory. Ryan Hinchley, the winning pitcher for the Hounds, tossed three innings of two-hit ball, while allowing no runs to score. Succeeding Hinchley was Chase Thurston. Thurston was able to follow in Hinchley’s footsteps, as he went two innings and earned the save for the Hounds.

Matthew James only allowed one run through five innings of work for the Snipes. The loss went to Kyle Jenkins, the pitcher that allowed the Hounds to take the lead in the sixth inning. After putting in an inning of work, Jenkins was removed and replaced by Mitch Vogrin.

Vogrin finished the game for the Snipes, as he allowed four hits and three earned runs in his two innings of work.

In what appeared to be a slow start for both teams offensively, the Hounds pulled away from the Snipes in the later half of the game after getting to their relief pitchers, and they ultimately ended up winning the game 5-1.

The Hounds' next game will be on Sunday, June 8^th against the Southland Vikings, a team the Hounds defeated 6-5 on opening weekend. The game is scheduled to start at 6 PM at Benedictine University.