Jul. 18—The Owensboro RiverDawgs refused to fold on Saturday night.
Down 9-4 through 6 1/2 innings, the Dawgs rallied to score six runs in the seventh to take the lead and eventually won it in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 11th to edge the visiting Hoptown Hoppers 11-10 in a wild Ohio Valley League baseball game at Chautauqua Park’s Independence Bank Field.
Bailey Falkenstein — who had the key hit in the seventh with a three-run double — won in it the 11th when he led off with a double and came around to score on a Hoppers throwing error.
“Our team keeps grinding, keeps battling,” RiverDawgs manager Vic Evans Jr. said. “It would have been easy to give up trailing by five runs in the seventh, but these guys just keep fighting — I’m really proud of our team.
“Bailey Falkenstein had an unbelievable night, and the back end of our bullpen was very good very late in this game.”
Hoptown (18-16) scored three runs in the top of the first inning, which included a two-run homer by Landon Choboy, but Owensboro (18-17) got two of those runs back in the bottom of the first on RBI hits by Hayden Hirschvogel and Kyle Hogwood.
In the second, the Dawgs took a 4-3 lead on a long two-run homer to right off of the bat of leadoff hitter Paul Coumoulos.
Choboy tied the contest with a sacrifice fly to center in the third, and Hoptown went ahead 5-4 when Kurt Paldino led off the fourth with a homer to left-center.
The Hoppers added on in the fifth, getting a sacrifice fly to center from Montes, scored two more times in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Joe Sassi and a double steal, and increased their lead to five runs on Montes’ solo homer in the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, however, the Bombers erupted for six runs to move in front, 10-9. In addition to Falkenstein’s three-run two-bagger, Owensboro got RBI singles from Hirschvogel and PJ Barry.
Hoptown battled back to tie the game in the eighth, scoring on a Dawgs throwing error, but Owensboro got it done in the 11th in dramatic fashion.
Left-hander Noah Cantleberry picked up the win in relief.
“This team has a lot of heart,” Evans said, “and they showed it again tonight.”
The RiverDawgs are back in action at 6 p.m. on Sunday when they host Franklin.
HOPTOWN301 112 110 00 — 10 15 2
OWENSBORO220 000 600 01 — 11 13 2
2B-Cruz (H), Falkenstein 2, Coumoulos, Diaz (O). HR-Choboy, Paldino, Montes (H), Coumoulos (O).