LOVES PARK, Ill. – The Rockford RiverHawks furiously rallied back from an eight-run deficit, and Greg Van Horn hit a walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to give the RiverHawks an 11-10 win over the Florence Freedom Tuesday night.
Rockford loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off Florence reliever Brennan Flick (6-2), and Greg Van Horn laced a line drive to left to score Matt Greener and give the RiverHawks a dramatic win in their first game back home from a season-long 12-game road trip.
Flick picked up the loss, and Mickey Cassidy (3-2) got the win with an inning of scoreless relief.
“We feel confident no lead is safe here for opposing teams,” manager Rich Austin said.
Trailing 10-2 in the sixth inning, the RiverHawks scored four runs to chase starter Alec Lewis, including a two-run double by Brandon Anderson.
Rockford rallied for four runs in the eighth inning to tie the game at 10-10. Evan Button doubled down the left field line, and Jim Parque scored from first as the relay throw bounced off catcher Jim Jacquot’s glove.
Rockford’s Justino Cuevas went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
The RiverHawks set a season-high with 18 hits. The win marked the biggest deficit overcome for a victory for Rockford this season. The RiverHawks rallied from seven runs down and beat the London Rippers 8-7 in 10 innings on June 1, and they also rallied from seven runs down to beat the Normal CornBelters 10-9 on July 27.
Six Florence hitters recorded multi-hit efforts in the loss.
Peter Fatse hit a pair of RBI doubles and added a two-run homer, his seventh of the season.
Junior Arrojo went 2-for-4 with four runs scored and an RBI for the Freedom.
The series resumes Wednesday night as the pitching matchup for the game is Florence’s Brandon Mathes (2-0, 3.49 ERA) against Rockford’s Cody Hallahan (5-6, 4.72 ERA).
Wednesday night is Back to School Night at the ballpark. All kids (ages 3-12) get into the game for free, and they also can participate in an on-field clinic prior to the game, sponsored by Lou Bachrodt.
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.
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