TERRE HAUTE —
After struggling through a 3-7 start, Terre Haute Rex manager Brian Dorsett wanted to see better defense and timely hitting as a starting point to get the club back on track.
With a three-game homestand — and with seven of the next eight games being played at Warn Field — there was no better time than the present for the Rex to follow through on Dorsett’s wishes.
The Rex didn’t completely deliver on either count against Danville on Monday, but they did enough to stem the tide. A solo home run by Chris Roglen in the fourth inning stood up for the remainder of the game as the Rex took a 2-1 victory in front of 692 fans.
“It felt good. This is a good win for us,” Roglen said. “It’s definitely the ground work to get things going. I have faith in us. We’re jelling. We haven’t been getting timely hits, but it’s a good to get a win to get back on track.”
While Roglen’s blast to left field give Terre Haute the offense it needed, it built its winning foundation on the pitching of starter Kevin Upp. The Valparaiso right-hander allowed just two hits in seven innings of work. He has a 2.92 ERA, one of three Rex pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA with more than 10 innings pitched. Chris Nunn and Christian Slaznick are the others.
“He’s been really good in his three starts [one start was suspended]. He’s gone at least seven [innings] in his finished starts,” Dorsett said. “He got his breaking ball going, he mixed in some change-ups and he went up and down the ladder with good control.”
Terre Haute (3-7) drew first blood. Jacob Hayes drew a one-out walk and got into scoring position on a Chris Manning single. Joe Meggs, playing his first game with the Rex after playing at the University of Washington during the spring, connected on a two-out single to center to make it 1-0.
Danville tied the game via a mental lapse in the fourth. With runners on first and second and one out, Jackson Slaid laid down a bunt. Upp took his time fielding the ball and the throw to first was similarly slow. Danville’s Gabe Woods never stopped running from second and he caught the Rex flat-footed as he scored to tie the game, having advanced two bases on the Slaid sacrifice.
But it would be the last defensive miscue the Rex would endure. Danville only got one more runner into scoring position. Roglen’s home run in the fourth put Terre Haute in front to stay, but the Rex also had runners on in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but could not get a hit to provide any insurance runs.
The Rex play host to Springfield tonight and Hannibal on Wednesday.
Rex 2, Dans 1
Danville ab r h bi TH ab r h bi
White rf 4 0 0 0 CManning cf-lf 3 0 1 0
Woods ss 3 1 0 0 Meggs 1b 4 0 2 1
Bissel cf 3 0 0 0 Kraemer 2b-3b 4 0 1 0
Slaid dh 3 0 0 1 Johnson rf 4 0 0 0
Sullivan lf 4 0 1 0 CMitchell 3b-c 2 0 0 0
Rea 1b 3 0 0 0 Roglen dh 3 1 1 1
Jones 3b 2 0 0 0 Teschner c 3 0 1 0
Torres c 3 0 1 0 RMitchell pr-cf 0 0 0 0
Maggio 2b 3 0 0 0 Hayes lf 2 1 0 0
Pearson 2b 0 0 0 0
Hannahs ss 3 0 0 0
Totals 27 1 2 1 Totals 28 2 6 2
Danville 000 100 000 — 1
Terre Haute 001 100 000 — 2
E — Bissel; C. Mitchell. DP — D 1. LOB — D 4, TH 5. HR — Roglen. SH — Slaid. CS — Bissel, Sullivan; C. Mitchell.
IP H R ER BB SO
Danville
Zerrusen (L) 7 5 2 2 2 5
Rueda 1 1 0 0 1 1
Terre Haute
Upp (W, 1-1) 7 2 1 1 2 4
Bossenbery 1 0 0 0 0 0
Cunningham (SV) 1 0 0 0 0 2
HBP — by Upp 2 (Slaid, Jones).
A — 692
Next — Terre Haute (3-7) plays host to Springfield tonight.
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