RiverHawks strand 11 in 5-2 loss

08/15/2012 9:27 PM - LOVES PARK, Ill. – The Rockford RiverHawks lost 5-2 to the Florence Freedom Wednesday in a game of missed opportunities. The RiverHawks stranded 11 runners in the game, seven of those in scoring position. Rockford went just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Brandon Mathes (3-0) picked up the win as gave up one earned run and struck out a season-high eight batters in eight strong innings.  “He (Mathes) did a good job. He was in the zone and you have to tip your cap to him,” manager Rich Austin said.  Cody Hallahan (5-7) allowed two runs in six innings to get the loss. Florence scored first in the second inning on a two-out RBI single by Pierre LePage. The Freedom tacked on another run in the fifth inning two-out RBI double by Drew Rundle.  Rundle’s RBI walk in the seventh inning off Nelson Curry gave Florence a 3-0 lead.  The Freedom scored twice more in the eighth inning, extending the advantage to 5-0 on a pair of two-out RBI hits by David Harris and Junior Arrojo. All five Florence runs were scored after two outs.  Greg Van Horn broke up the shutout in the bottom half of the eighth inning with an RBI groundout. The RiverHawks scored another on a passed ball, but Mathes struck out Justino Cuevas looking to end the threat.   Rockford had two runners on base with one out in the ninth and slugger Michael Hur at the plate, but he hit into a game-ending double play.  Jorge Marban picked up his seventh save of the season. Jet Butler reached base in all four of his plate appearances, going 1-for-1 with three walks and a run scored. The series wraps up tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. Tomorrow’s probables on the mound are Florence’s Andres Caceres (7-3, 4.26 ERA) and Rockford’s Kyle Schepel (3-4, 2.41 ERA).  Thursday night is Perry Rock $1 beer night and American’s Bring it Home Thursday. One lucky fan will walk away with a 40” 1080p LCD TV, compliments of American.  The RiverHawks are members of the Frontier League, an independent professional baseball league in its 20th season. Games are broadcast on NTA-FM (100.5) Advertising and ticket information is available by calling (815) 885-2255. Fans can also visit www.rockfordriverhawks.com.