LAFAYETTE, IN – A 5-3 win over the Danville Dans earned the Aviators their third consecutive victory and sole possession of first place in the Wabash River division. The Fly Boys opened the game with a run scored in the bottom of the first inning by Jarret Bickel thanks to an RBI-double by Trevor Johnson. A 2-0 lead would come after a sacrifice play from Johnson to score Jared Harris in the second inning.
The Dans would strike back in the top of the fourth inning with two runs. Aviators starting pitcher, Logan Danzeisen, lost control of his batter allowing four walks one of which scored. Bryce Chance would also round the bases and score after he led the inning off with a single to centerfield, tying the game at 2.
Lafayette would earn back the edge thanks to three runs across the sixth and seventh innings. Two runs were scored in the sixth. An error by the Dans centerfielder allowed two unearned runs to score, including the go-ahead run. With a full count, Drew Behling hit the first home run of the season for the Aviators.
Danville would refuse to quit, immediately responding with a solo shot to the same right-field wall in the eighth inning, bringing the game to 5-3. After a hard-fought ninth inning, the Dans would lose when Connor Fries strung together three strikeouts to earn his third save of the summer season.
The Aviators earned their third consecutive victory and third consecutive 10+ hit game, with 11. Trevor Johnson went 3-for-4 with a double, a run, and two driven in. Relief pitcher, Ryan Mintz, recorded his first win after pitching three innings allowing two hits with four punchouts. Lafayette improves their record to 6-2 (5-1 at home).
The Fly Boys will hit the road tomorrow as they head east to take on the Champion City Kings. Their first outing against the Kings will commence on Friday, June 10th, with a 6:35 p.m. EST first pitch.
