TERRE HAUTE —
It’s written on the greaseboard in the Terre Haute Rex clubhouse that the team should be “All In, All Out For Nine Innings.”
The Rex put that slogan to test in a first-place battle with Richmond on Thursday at Bob Warn Field … and then some.
Entering the ninth inning with a two-run deficit, the Rex needed to generate a rally to maintain its Prospect League Central Division lead as the River Rats were on their heels, a half-game behind in the standings.
The Rex got exactly what they needed. It’s symantics whether you want to call Terre Haute’s key two-run ninth a Rex rally or a Richmond meltdown, but Rex patience at the plate paid off to make Richmond pay for its mistakes.
Terre Haute got the game to extra innings and once there, its bench made its presence felt. A leadoff walk by backup catcher Braden Kline, a tag-evading bunt single by Kyle Burnam up the first-base line and a single by Cole Vicars scored the winning run for the Rex as they rallied for a 6-5 victory in front of 742 onlookers.
The victory gave the Rex (10-3) a 1 1/2-game lead over the River Rats in the Central Division.
Vicars had entered the game in the ninth as a pinch-runner and Kline entered in the 10th and their contributions were huge in the Rex victory.
“When you get the call, you have to step in there no matter what situation you’re in. I know we’re always ready for it at all times,” Vicars said.
Vicars’ game-winning play was an apt coda to the game as Richmond (8-4) suffered from hard luck from the ninth inning onward. Vicars hit a low blooper into the gap near second base. Richmond second baseman Tyler Campbell ranged to his left to make an excellent stab. However, his throw to first was not only too late to get Vicars, but was also inaccurate as it dribbled past Richmond first baseman Garrett Stephens.
Kline, who was at third, was not initially going to run on the Vicars hit. But once the ball got past Stephens, he made a belated charge to the plate. By the time Stephens recovered and made an off-balance throw home, it was too late, as Kline slid across the plate for a dramatic game winner on the throwing error by Campbell.
“The determination alone says a lot about what this team’s belief is right now. It’s a huge win,” Rex manager Brian Dorsett said.
The ninth was just as dramatic, a testament to Terre Haute’s patience against Richmond closer Chuck Ghysels, who had trouble with his command.
Burnam drew a leadoff walk, followed by a Chris Carlson single. Nolan Earley then sacrificed both into scoring range. Alex DeLeon then drew a walk to load the bases.
After Alex Guthrie popped out to short, the Rex were up against it with two outs, but their patience didn’t wane. Koby Kraemer worked a 3-2 count against Ghysels, but stayed calm in the box when Ghysels threw ball four past him to force in Burman to make it 5-4.
“We knew we’d come back. We’d seen their closer a few times. We knew what he had,” Vicars said.
Next up was Joe Meggs. After Ghysels threw a ball, he was relieved by fireballer Freddie Cabrera.
Meggs barely saw Cabrera’s first pitch, but he certainly felt it. Cabrera’s first throw sailed to the right and hit Meggs squarely in the back. Pinch-runner Joel Licon strolled home to score the game-tying run. Jared Broughton struck out to end the Rex threat, but the damage had been done.
“We were game and really mentally ready to face their closer. We ramped our concentration up in that inning, we had some great at-bats. Burnam, Carlson, Earley, DeLeon, Guthrie had a good at-bat, Kraemer had a great at-bat, so did Meggs. He had two strikes on some of those guys. They just did a great job of composing themselves as players,” Dorsett said.
The Rex had early control of the game. After falling behind 1-0 in the first, the Rex responded quickly. After Burnam reached on an error, Earley, who has hit .484 in his last seven games for the Rex, cracked a two-run homer to right field. It was the seventh home run hit by a Rex player at Bob Warn Field this season.
The Rex added another run on a Guthrie RBI single in the fifth as Terre Haute starter Austin Haynal cruised through five relatively easy innings.
However, Haynal came to earth in the sixth. A two-out, two-run RiverRats rally began with a Stephens double and was punctuated by a two-run home run to left by Ryan Skellie to tie the game.
Richmond took the lead in the eighth. A leadoff walk by Casey Jones and a single by Skellie set up Aaron Etchison, who hit a two-run double up the middle to make it 5-3.
The Rex begin a four-game road swing. Terre Haute plays a two-game series at Richmond starting tonight, followed by a two-game swing at Nashville.
The Rex next play at home Tuesday against Nashville.
Terre Haute Rex
Rex take first-place showdown with River Rats in 10th
- Terre Haute Rex
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2012 an up, down season for Rex
The Terre Haute Rex went through plenty of trials and tribulations during the summer of 2012.
The team got off to a sluggish start to settle for third place during the first half of the Prospect League race, but manager Brian Dorsett rallied the troops to a second-half title. -
Metro Roundup: Dorsett, Rex players honored in Prospect League postseason awards
Terre Haute Rex closer Nick Blount won one award and shared another and Brian Dorsett shared Manager of the Year honors as the Prospect League announced postseason awards Saturday.
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Rex out of playoffs
Successful playoff baseball = clean baseball.
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Rex mix, match their way to win
The Terre Haute Rex clinched a playoff spot last Thursday … but there were still four games to be played.
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Rex turn eye to Prospect playoffs
Fans attending this evening’s Terre Haute Rex game should expect some handouts, some surprises — and probably better start by the home team than the Rex could provide Saturday night.
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Rex drop road game to Sliders 7-1
One night after a dramatic come-from-behind victory, the Terre Haute Rex went down meekly to the Springfield Sliders 7-1 in Prospect League baseball Friday night.
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Rex defeat Springfield twice, clinch spot in playoffs
It was a long but fruitful night for the playoff-bound Terre Haute Rex.
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Playoff march continues: Rex creep closer to postseason with victory over Dans
Hire the band, make the floats, and rent out a street.
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Rex split, retain 3 1⁄2-game advantage in West Division
A five-run ninth-inning rally fell far short for the Terre Haute Rex on Sunday night in Prospect League baseball.
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No no-hitter, but Rex triumphs
Kyle Zimmerman took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, lost his control and the lead, but the Terre Haute Rex offense had an immediate answer Friday night at Bob Warn Field.
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Travel baseball teams enjoy busy summer
So in the past two or three years, the increase in local travel baseball options has been led by three groups, Indiana (formerly Terre Haute) Havoc, Riley Recreation League and Junior Rex.
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First-place Rex top rival Bombers
If you haven’t been to a Terre Haute Rex game yet this season, tonight might be the time to go.
The Rex have a second straight home game against the Dubois County Bombers, a potential Prospect League West Division playoff preview — and a battle between maybe the division’s two biggest rivals. -
Rex top Cavemen, raise record to 14-6
The first-place Terre Haute Rex picked up a 6-4 victory Wednesday at Hannibal, Mo., against the Cavemen.
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Rex win first game of Saturday doubleheader
Terre Haute maintained its stronghold on first place in the Prospect League West Division on Saturday, the Rex defeating Dubois County 6-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.
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Strunc fans 10, Rex win 12-10
Power pitching and power hitting kept a season-high crowd of 1,732 Rex fans on the edge of their seats Friday night at Bob Warn Field.
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Starting role suits Cunningham as Rex win
Nick Cunningham took the mound Thursday in his relatively new role as starting pitcher looking to give the Terre Haute Rex some breathing room atop the Prospect League West Division standings.
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Rex fall at Danville, maintain two-game division lead
The Terre Haute Rex lost 7-4 on Wednesday at Danville, falling to 9-4 in the second half of the Prospect League schedule.
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High drama, but no win
Pinch-hitter Michael Eberle provided patient Terre Haute Rex fans with plenty of excitement by belting a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the score against the Springfield Sliders at 9-9.
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Rex cool off against Springfield
It was a game Terre Haute probably didn’t deserve to win, and, despite an outstanding bullpen effort and focused hitting in the last few innings, the Rex did lose Monday for the first time since July 4 at Quincy.
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Rex roll to lead in division
A constant theme repeated by Terre Haute Rex manager Brian Dorsett is how his summer-league collegians adjust to the everyday schedule, rather than the four or five-game slates they’re used to.
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Rex bounce back, dominate Dans
Terre Haute reaped the bounty of three Danville errors in the second inning. The Rex made the Dans pay for each of their errors with eight base hits in the inning and Terre Haute never looked back on its way to an 11-4 victory in front of sweltering crowd of 669.
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Rex open second half with victory at Quincy
The Terre Haute Rex opened the second half of the Prospect League season with a 8-7 victory Tuesday night at Quincy Stadium.
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Head coach could be next stop for Prettyman
Credited in part to some unforgettable memories at Cal State Fullerton, where Ronnie Prettyman scored the winning run in the 2004 College World Series, the Indiana State and Terre Haute Rex assistant coach wants to pursue a future in college coaching.
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Cunningham, McCurdy pace Rex to win over league leader
What was essentially a meaningless baseball game as far as the standings were concerned couldn’t have gone much better for the Terre Haute Rex on Saturday night at Bob Warn Field.
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Rex score 4 before getting first hit, then hang on for win
With temperatures over 100 degrees Friday, affairs at Bob Warn Field took a walk on the wild side.
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Rex duo working overtime
It’s obviously a bonus to recruit a college baseball player that can pitch once a week and take the field and bat in the middle of the batting order the rest of the time.
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Rex fall 7-1 to Hannibal
The Terre Haute Rex lost 7-1 on Thursday, falling behind 4-0 after the first inning at Bob Warn Field.
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Rex have winning streak snapped
The season-long five-game winning streak of the Terre Haute Rex came to an end Wednesday night at Dubois County.
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Rex move within four games of first-place Dubois County
The Terre Haute Rex moved within four games of the first-place Dubois County Bombers, scoring the first 11 runs in a 12-6 shellacking at Bob Warn Field on Tuesday.
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Rex take third straight, move to 12-11 overall
Wildness cost the Terre Haute Rex a precarious lead in the fifth inning, but thankfully for the home team Quincy returned the favor in the bottom of the ninth inning.
- More Terre Haute Rex Headlines
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