The Springfield Lucky Horseshoes battled back to within two runs through six innings, but a six-run eighth inning proved to be the difference as the Rex pulled away for a 12-4 victory on Monday night.
Springfield collected seven hits and remained within striking distance for much of the contest before the visitors broke the game open late with timely hitting and capitalized on several opportunities to put the game out of reach.
The Lucky Horseshoes wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the opening inning. Kannon Kirk doubled and later scored when Tanay Vyas lined an RBI single to center field, giving Springfield an early 1-0 advantage.
The Rex answered in the second inning as Carter Murphy crossed the plate on a balk to even the score at 1-1.
An inning later, the visitors took control. Giordany Mendoza scored on a Springfield fielding error before another defensive miscue allowed Renn Harper to cross the plate, extending the Rex lead to 3-1 despite neither run being earned.
Springfield trimmed the deficit in the fourth inning when Ethan Burkhardt delivered an RBI single up the middle, scoring Griffin Novacek to make it a one-run game.
The Rex responded in the fifth with Nomar Garcia’s RBI double to center field, restoring a two-run cushion at 4-2.
After Nazhir Bergen drove home another run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, Springfield answered immediately. Wandel Campana connected on a solo home run to right-center field, cutting the deficit to 5-3 and providing life for the Lucky Horseshoes heading into the late innings.
Unfortunately for Springfield, the eighth inning belonged entirely to the visitors.
The Rex erupted for six runs in the frame, beginning with Carter Murphy scoring on a wild pitch before another wild pitch plated Joseph Gutierrez. Bergen followed with a ground-rule RBI double, Bryson Carpenter added an RBI single, and Garcia capped the rally with another RBI double as the lead ballooned to 11-3.
The Lucky Horseshoes scratched across one final run in the bottom half of the inning when Vyas recorded his second RBI single of the night, bringing home Kannon Kirk to make it 11-4.
The Rex added one final insurance run in the ninth as Joseph Gutierrez scored on another wild pitch, closing out the scoring at 12-4.
Kirk led Springfield offensively, finishing 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Vyas also turned in a strong performance, collecting two hits and driving in a pair of runs. Campana added a solo home run and finished with two hits, while Burkhardt contributed an RBI single.
On the mound, Springfield pieced together the game with four pitchers. Starter Richie Snider allowed one earned run over 2.1 innings before Hayden Steelman kept the Lucky Horseshoes within striking distance through the middle innings, surrendering just two runs over 4.2 innings while striking out four. Nick Sullivan and Jack Olson handled the late innings as the Rex broke the game open during the decisive eighth.
Despite trailing for much of the evening, Springfield remained within reach until the late innings. However, the Rex’s explosive seven-run eighth inning proved to be the turning point, allowing the visitors to pull away and hand the Lucky Horseshoes a 12-4 defeat.