Written by: Alex Brophy
LAFAYETTE, IN. – The offense stayed hot in the second day game of the week with the Aviators beating the West Virginia Miners 8-2. Lafayette’s bats stayed hot from the previous game, racking 13 total hits (30 over two games). Tucker, Bedgood, Johnson, Snyder, and Behling all had two or more hits. The Miners scored a run in the top of the first and fourth innings. A pair of RBI singles scored Shea in the first inning and Leon in the fourth. The Miners would leave 11 runners on base over the course of the game.
Lafayette rattled off two runs in the first, second, and fourth innings and one in both the seventh and eighth. An RBI single from Bedgood gave Behling the nod to home for the first score of the game. Bedgood would round the bases for a second score with another RBI single from Johnson. An oddity in the game switched up the scoring when Hatcher stole home while the defense was occupied at second, another RBI single would bring the score to 4-1 heading into the third.
A two-RBI double from Bedgood would tack on a pair of insurance runs in the fourth inning. And two more RBI singles, one in the seventh and one in the eighth, would end the scoring for the Fly Boys. Nine stolen bases and five walks allowed the Aviators to dominate the game offensively, but the pitching freed up the lineup to play with no weight on its shoulders.
Starting pitcher Gus Collins got his first win of the summer (1-1) by pitching five innings for five hits, two earned runs, a pair of walks, and six punch-outs at the plate. He and the Aviator relievers combined for 14 combined strikeouts, three more than Sunday’s game. Each reliever played well and didn’t surrender any additional runs.
Lafayette ends its six-game homestand 4-2 (13-12) and will now hit the road for six games. They begin the road test tomorrow, June 28th, against the Champion City Kings. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. EST and can be viewed on Prospect League TV. The Aviators have won two straight and are 3-1 versus the Kings.
