O’FALLON, MO–The River City Rascals dominated their crosstown rivals, the Gateway Grizzlies, 9-4 in the series opener tonight at CarShield Field. Rascals pitcher Dan Ludwig (2-3) threw a complete game, allowing just two earned runs and no walks while striking out nine. JD Hearn and Mike Jurgella each had a home run and three hits, and combined for seven RBIs on the night.
Hearn led-off the first inning with a solo homer, his third of the season, which was followed by a Braxton Martinez sacrifice fly. The Rascals tacked on three more in the second inning, thanks to a two-run double by Hearn and an RBI double from Jurgella. Jurgella put the game out of reach with a three-run shot in the fourth inning, putting the Rascals up 8-2.
The Grizzlies got an RBI double from Joel McKeithan in the second inning and a solo homer from Blake Brown in the third, and scored a couple of runs late to make the score more respectable. Starter Will Anderson (2-1) allowed eight earned runs in 3.1 innings in the loss.
The Rascals (19-14) host the Grizzlies (14-21) in Game 2 of the series tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 11:05 am CT. Scott Grist is expected to start for the Rascals.
