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Sports

Rascals Bounce Back to Even Series

Sterner, Patton shine in Game two win.

The pressure was on River City right-hander Zack Sterner on Thursday.   

Forget the fact that the Rascals, down a game in the Western Division championship series, had to win to get back into the best-of-five series.    

The real heat came from his parents, George and Cindy Sterner, who made the long drive from Pennsylvania to see their son pitch in the biggest game of the season.   

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"There was no way I was going to let them down," Sterner said. "No way."    

Sterner gave mom and pop something to smile about with an impressive complete-game performance leading River City to a 3-2 win over Southern Illinois in Game 2 before 1,354 at .    

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The Rascals evened the series at 1-1. Games 3 and 4 are set for Saturday and Sunday at Rent One Park in Marion.    

Sterner made it a best-of-three series with a gutsy 115-pitch effort. He struck out five, walked three and allowed no runs on four hits over the last six innings.

"Everything was working," Sterner said. "We had a couple big hits and some awesome defensive plays."    

Jason Patton, Sterner's summertime roommate, provided the biggest blow of the game - a two-run homer in the fifth inning that capped off a three-run uprising.    

"It felt good off the bat," Patton said. "I knew it had a chance to get out as long as it got over the wall."

Sterner then made the run stand. He gave up lead off singles in each of the last four innings before shutting the door on the hard-hitting Miners.

The Rascals turned in four stellar plays behind Sterner including a game-ending 6-4-3 double-play. Third sacker Chris McClendon and second baseman Doug Sanders also came up with web gems.    

Southern Illinois, which won the first game 9-7 with a six-run explosion in the ninth, scored twice off Sterner in the third to take a 2-0 lead. A run-scoring single by Matt Fields and an RBI double from Ernie Banks highlighted the four-hit frame.

River City finally got to Miners starter Ian Campbell in the fifth. McClendon and Sanders led off with singles and McClendon scored on a line-drive sacrifice fly by Logan Parker. One batter later, Patton unloaded with a long drive just over the wall in right.    

The homer run proved to be just what the Rascals needed. The drive brought the crowd back into the game and helped shift the momentum to the hosts. 

"Big hit," Sterner said. "We needed something to get us going and that was it." 

Sterner also beat the Miners with a complete-game victory in Game 4 of last year's series, which the Rascals won 3-2.

Patton, who went 4-for-4 in Wednesday's loss, continues to sizzle at the plate. It would not be too far-fetched to call his homer the biggest hit of the season so far. 

"It feels a lot better tonight," Patton said. "When you're able to dig deep and win a 3-2 game in the playoffs, that huge."      

Notes from Big Dawg Nation

  • River City right-hander Preston Vancil (2-3, 6.06) will face Miners southpaw Shawn Joy (6-4, 3.92) in Game 3 on Saturday at 7 p.m. Game 4 is set for Sunday at 5:05 p.m.
  • A small total of 2,475 fans witnessed the first two games of the series.    
  • Joliet beat Lake Erie 3-1 on Thursday to take 2-0 lead in the East Division series. The division winners meet for the title in a five-game series beginning next Wednesday.
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