Rangers Split with Braves

  The Dayton Rangers took on the 28-over Dayton Braves squad in a doubleheader at Wright State University on Sunday..

      The Rangers took game 1 (7-5) from the Braves on the heels of a great pitching performance from rookie Jacob Robinson, who improved his record to a team-best 5-2. The Rangers got behind 3-1 early on, but battled back to take the lead for good in the 6th inning. Ethan Goetz led off with a double and, after a single from Jonmarc Lippincott, scored on a single off the bat of Joe Staten. Pitcher Jacob Robinson helped his own cause by driving in Jonmarc and Joe with a double over the head of the Braves left fielder. Ethan finished off the scoring with a 2-run double in the 7th, scoring Aaron Armstrong and Brian Robinson. Everyone in the lineup had at least 1 hit. To be more specific...everyone had 1 hit except Ethan who had 4!

      Coach Lippincott shuffled the deck in the nightcap, giving players the opportunity to try out new positions. "I wanted to see what players could do at alternate positions in preparation for next season," coach Lippincott said. It may have hurt the Rangers in the end as the Braves plated 11 unearned runs. Lippincott stated, "The outcome wasn't what I expected, but the players had fun. That's the key. If you can't have fun playing baseball, then you shouldn't be playing at all." Jonmarc also implemented his annual "draw your batting order from a hat" technique for game 2.

      Brian Robinson and Clint Wolf made their 2004 debuts on the mound in Game 2. Both were very effective, as were Matt Hood and Jonmarc Lippincott. "All in all, the pitchers did well and gave the team an opportunity to make plays. We just need to learn from our mistakes and better prep ourselves for the start of next season."

      GAME NOTES: Ethan Goetz reached base every time up, going 4-for-4 in game 1 and 2-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch in game 2. Ethan has now reached safely in 13 straight plate appearances, tying his own team record that he set earlier in the season (Hopefully, I didn't jinx him!). Ethan is also 2 doubles away from tying the single season mark of 12, held by Jonmarc Lippincott who set the mark in 1999. Jacob Robinson surged into 4th place with his 5th victory of the season for the most wins in a year. Brian Robinson is 4 runs short of tying the all-time Runs Scored mark in a single season.