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Sports

Shortstop Powers River City Rascals to Fifth Straight Win

River City defeats Evansville 9-8 during Wednesday's game.

River City shortstop Bobby Burk is not in the starting lineup because of his hitting prowess.    

"In my mind, he's the best defensive shortstop in the league," said Rascals manager Steve Brook. "And that's what he's in there for. Anything he gets offensively is a bonus."    

It was Bonus Day on Wednesday afternoon at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.    

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Burk, hitting out of the bottom of the batting order, slammed two home runs —a two-run blast and a three-run shot—to lead River City to a 9-8 win over Evansville in front of 2,379 fans watching a rare daytime affair.    

The Rascals (16-8) won their fifth in a row and ninth in the last 11 contests.  

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River City moves to within 1.5 games of first-place Southern Illinois in the Western Division of the Frontier League. The teams begin a key early-season three-game series Thursday at Rent One Park in Marion.    

Burk put on a surprising power display with the wind blowing out. His two round-trippers staked the Rascals to a 7-3 lead they would never relinquish.    

Evansville, with a league-worst 5-19 mark, battled back from a 9-3 deficit to close to within 9-8 in the eighth. But reliever Derrick Miramontes shut the door to record his fourth save of the season.   

River City first baseman/outfielder Josh Brodin added three hits and drove in two runs. Jareck West added a big two-run double in the fourth that gave River City the lead for good 4-3. Chad Maddox, Stephen Holdren and Danny Sawyer also had timely blows.    

"It was good to get the offense going," said Brodin, an off-season pickup. "We had been struggling, at least by our standards, so far this year. Today we were real efficient—nine hits, nine runs. It was good enough to get the 'W.'"    

Burk bats in the No. 9 spot in the order, a position usually reserved for the weakest hitter in the lineup. He turned that, "automatic out," slot into power position with a five-RBI performance.    

"The last couple days, I've been hitting the ball well, but they just haven't been falling," said Burk, a Riverside, CA, resident. "Today, the wind was blowing out and I got a lot of help. A good day overall."    

Burk helped his club climb out of a 3-0 hole with his two-run shot to left field in the third. The Rascals, properly inspired, shoved across five runs in the fourth to seemingly take control. Holdren and Brodin began the rally with a pair of singles.

West then smacked a two-run double down the left-field line to give River City a 4-3 lead. Sawyer followed with a single before Burk unloaded again. He drilled a long homer into the metal bleachers in left to push the lead to 7-3. Burk has five homers and is tied for the team lead with 19 RBI.    

Brodin triggered an uprising in the fifth with a two-run double.    

But Evansville fought back thanks in part to a two-run homer by Jamar Walton and a pair of hits from Greg Alexander, who went five-for-five in the contest.    

The Otters were able to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base before Miramontes, the closer, halted the rally. He gave up just one hit in two innings and has yet to allow an earned run in 11 appearances covering 11-plus innings.    

"We came out, got the lead, and then we barely hung on," said Brook. "The story continues. We're getting wins, but we need to find a way to put teams away."    

The Rascals have played 14 nail-biting one-run games this season, the most of any team in the league.    

"It's all right, we just wanted to make it exciting," joked Brodin.   

Brook says he can do without the late-inning theatrics.   

"I was disappointed in the way we played at the end," he said. "We can't keep doing it. It will catch up with us eventually."     

NOTES FROM THE POUND
  • Wednesday's game was part of a Super Splash Day promotion, with water toys and sprinklers available for the large contingent of children in attendance. 
  • Kids ran around firing water guns at one another throughout most of the 2 hour 57 minute affair. The contest began at 11:09 a.m.    
  • Right-hander Sean Toler will start the first game of the crucial Southern Illinois series on Thursday. He is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA.    
  • Infielder Nick DeBiasse made his professional debut for the Rascals with an 0-for-3 effort. DeBiasse is a former standout at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg.  
  • Evansville had a total of 17 hits on Wednesday.   
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