Aviators Rally Past Dukes 8-6

Alliance, OH- The ‘Backyard Brawl’ hit the diamond on Wednesday afternoon for the back end of the 2 game series, with the Aviators defending their home turf on Tuesday 5-1. The Dukes set out to return the favor and avoid a sweep at the hands of their rival.

The Dukes got on the board first in the bottom of the 1st when Logan Smith smacked a single through the left side, bringing Parker Woods around to score. The Aviators answered the bell in the top of the 2nd, when Lincoln Reese scampered home throwing a throwing error. The Dukes broke the tie in the bottom half when Sam Yoder scored on an Aviator error.

The Dukes extended their lead in the bottom of the third, plating 3 runs in the frame thanks to a Sam Yoder sacrifice fly to right, and a 2-run error that brought Logan Smith and Landon Hawthorne around to extend the Dukes advantage to 5-1.

The Aviators faced a tall task both figuratively and literally given the 4 run deficit with University of Findlay commit Dylan Heatherington on the bump. The 6’4” southpaw ran into trouble in the top of the 5th following two free passes to the 7 and 8 hitters in the Aviators line-up. The Aviators parlayed those mishaps, which included a 9 pitch battle with Michael Blackwell, into a 6 run onslaught. While there were no extra base hits yielded, the Aviators attack used well placed base knocks to take their first lead of the afternoon.

The Dukes got one back in the bottom half of the 5th, closing the gap to a one score game thanks to a Landon Hawthorne fielders choice that brought Garret Dillon home. The Aviators got the run back in the top of the 6th following a Bo Davis single through the left side that brought Kam Burton in.

The victory moves the Aviators to 15-5 on the year, while the loss drops the Dukes to 11-9.