Late Rally Helps Indian River Take Game One

TAMPA, FL- Indian River's explosive seventh inning broke open a tie game and pushed them to a 12-5 win over Hillsborough, improving their record to 31-11 overall and 21-7 in Citrus Conference play.

The River jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning after Jake Weatherspoon drew a walk, scoring a run, and Jacob Suazo doubled, driving in two more. Hillsborough responded in the bottom half to tie the game at 3-3, and that's where it stayed until the seventh inning.

Indian River broke the tie in the seventh when Weatherspoon singled to score one, Suazo followed with another single that brought in two, and Sean Duffin added a sacrifice fly to plate one more.

Three more runs came across in the eighth inning to extend the lead to 10-3. Brett Patten launched a solo home run to right field, Scout Simpson drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run, and Duffin was hit by a pitch to score another. The River added two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth.

Andris Barroso pitched five strong innings in relief to earn his sixth win of the year. The right-hander surrendered five hits and two runs while striking out five. Lucas Glendinning got the start for Indian River, allowing five hits and three runs over four innings while striking out seven.

Indian River piled up 16 hits in the game. Suazo and Matt Lashley each collected four hits, while Patten, Simpson, and Weatherspoon also turned in multi-hit performances. The team showed great discipline at the plate, drawing 10 walks over the course of the game.

The River will be back at home this Saturday as they look to win the series and clinch home-field advantage for the regional playoffs.