Rangers Knock Off Indians 8-5

  The Dayton Rangers opened the 2008 MVABL season with a 8-5 opening day win over the Springfield Indians.

      Jacob Robinson started on the hill for the Rangers and was impressive in his five innings of work. Jake gave up two unearned runs, allowing only one hit. Rookie Jack Millard finished up the final four frames, scattering four hits and striking out four for the first save of his career.

      The Rangers got the ball rolling in the bottom of the first after Jacob Robinson reached on a fielding error, took second on Joe Staten's sac bunt, and scored on a double by Clint Wolf. Jelani Arnold's bases-loaded liner to right plated another run in the second. The Rangers plated two more in the third when Jeremy Lippincott doubled in Wolf with two outs in the inning, and James Robinson followed suit with an RBI single, scoring Lippincott.

      The Tribe cut the deficit in half as Phil Beach drove in a run with a grounder to short in the fourth, and Joe Pickarski was plunked with the bases juiced in the fifth.

      The Rangers broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh off of Indians starter Matt Spradlin. Wolf, Jonmarc Lippincott, and Brent Collinsworth singled in succession to load the bases for Jeremy Lippincott. Jeremy then proceeded to rope a double over the left fielder's head for a two-run double. Collinsworth came around to score on a fielding error.

After two relatively quiet innings of relief, Millard gave up a leadoff double to Beach in the 8th as the Tribe mounted a comeback. Mike Pickarski drove in Beach with the first run of the inning. And after a wild pitch plated a second run, Matt Cherry's sac fly, scored Pickarski, cutting the Rangers lead to 7-5. The Rangers scored their final run in the top of the ninth as Brad Clark came off the bench for a solo home run to left center, his first career blast.

Offensive performances of note: Brad Clark 1-for-1 HR; James Robinson 2-for-4 RBI; Clint Wolf 4-for-5 2 runs, double, 2 SB; Jeremy Lippincott 2-for-4, 2 doubles, 3RBI, Reis Pearson 2-for-4.

Defensive performances of note: Left fielder Jared Bradley made a game-saving play in the top of the 8th inning as he made an over-the-head catch at the wall to rob Danny Colella of extra bases and kill the Tribe's rally.