Parmentier's Ninth Inning Bases Loaded Walk Climaxes Rally As River Dragons Win Home Opener Over Bombers 5-4  

ALTON - Civic Memorial's Luke Parmentier drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth, forcing home Joe Connolly with the winning run and climaxing a late rally as the Alton River Dragons came back from 4-1 down to take a 5-4 win over the Dubois County Bombers of Hunterburg, Ind. in the Prospect League home opener for the River Dragons Saturday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park.

The win allowed Alton to earn a three-game sweep of the Bombers, having won the previous two meetings in Hunterburg, and open the home season in style, going to 4-1 on the young season.

Dubois County got on the board first in the opening inning, when Jonny Marquez drove in Kyle Prindle with a RBI single to give the Bombers a 1-0 lead, which doubled in the second inning on a solo home run over the left field fence by Drew Bradley to make it 2-0. Alton halved the lead in the home half of the fourth on a RBI double by Cooper Howell, scoring Civic Memorial's Bryer Arview to make it 2-1.

In the top of the fifth, the Bombers scored twice on both a RBI double by Ricardo Serra double that brought in Derek Roy, and a sacrifice fly to left by Gabriel Medina that pushed across Marquez to give Dubois County a 4-1 lead.

The River Dragons came back in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run single by R.J. LaRocco, Jr., scoring Parmentier and Luke Melton to make the score 4-3 for Dubois County. In the bottom of the ninth, Erik Broekemeier of Metro-East Lutheran reached on a fielder's choice, with Eli Hill scoring on an error by the first baseman to tie the game, setting up Parmentier's bases-loaded walk that scored Connolly with the winning run to give Alton the 5-4 win.

LaRocco led the Dragons with a hit and two RBIs, with Howell having a hit and RBI, Hill, Jack Gadzacka, Arview, and James Theodore all had hits, and Parmentier drove home the game-winning run.

Jackson Rodgers of Father McGivney Catholic started on the mound for Alton, and went three innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits, walking two and striking out four, while Aiden Adams went for one inning, giving up two runs on one hit, walking two and fanning one, Bryce Louis pitched four innings, allowing only three hits, and walking three and fanning two, and Edwardsville's Logan Geggus pitched the ninth to gain the win, walking one and striking out two.

The River Dragons are now 4-1, tied with the Jackson, Tenn., Rockabillys for first place in the South Division of the Western Conference, and play at home again on Sunday against the Clinton, Ia., LumberKings at 5:35, enjoy an off-day on Monday, then hit the road for a game at the Terre Haute, Ind., REX Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. St. Louis time. Alton returns home for three in a row at home, going against their arch-rivals, the Cape Catfish of Care Girardeau, Mo. Wednesday, Thursday against Jackson, and Friday against the O'Fallon, Mo., Hoots, with all games starting at 6:35 p.m., then play at the Normal Cornbelters next Saturday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m.

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