TERRE HAUTE —
Joe Meggs knocked in runs with a triple and a double and Ronnie Mitchell came off the bench to deliver a pair of doubles, helping the red-hot Terre Haute Rex knock off the Hannibal Cavemen 5-2 in Prospect League baseball Monday night at Bob Warn Field.
Hannibal jumped ahead with a run in the top of the first inning. Kyle Haen led off with a walk and C.K. Irby got hit by a Daniel Heefner pitch, then Matt Burton grounded a single into right field to plate Haen.
The right-handed Heefner struck out the next two batters before walking Trey Lang to load the bases. But Heefner avoided further damage by coaxing Alan Cheatham into an inning-ending groundout.
Terre Haute catapulted on top 2-1 with two runs in the third. With two outs (one on a caught stealing at second base), Jacob Hayes walked and Meggs smashed an RBI triple into the left-center gap. After John Loeffler walked, Chris Roglen grounded a single up the middle to send Meggs trotting home.
The Rex added another run in the seventh. Pinch-hitting for Cameron Fagg, Mitchell legged out a double that dropped between several Hannibal fielders in shallow center. After Chris Manning sac-bunted Mitchell to third, he scored on a two-out double by Meggs.
The Cavemen pulled within 3-2 with a run in the top of the eighth. Burton led off with a triple off the right-field wall and Michael Tucker stroked an RBI single.
But Terre Haute tacked on a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of that frame. Brett Teschner lofted a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Roglen from third and Mitchell doubled to left-center to send pinch-hitter Koby Kraemer racing home after he walked, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout.
Roglen (3 for 3 with a walk), Mitchell (2 for 2) and Meggs (2 for 4) were Terre Haute’s leading hitters. Meggs is a former Terre Haute resident who played for the University of Washington in the spring.
“Joe came up big in the clutch tonight,” Rex manager Brian Dorsett said afterward. “Two big hits in the gap. Just an excellent job… He’s been really driving the ball.”
Dorsett also praised Mitchell, who played center field after pinch-hitting, for being so cool under pressure late in the contest.
“That was big for him because Mitchell had not been seeing the results that he wants to see lately,” the Rex manager mentioned. “He’s really been working on his game and it’s beginning to show for him.”
“All you gotta do is just be ready,” Mitchell said in describing his mindset for coming off the bench. “Today, I took the approach that I was going to be ready when he calls on me. I went to the batting cage and got a couple swings, stayed loose, and obviously that was a good thing because I got a couple hits finally.”
Heefner picked up the victory, striking out six and allowing five hits in seven innings of work.
“Heefner did a great job of keeping them off balance,” Dorsett pointed out. “He had that shaky first inning but came back after that and just lit it up.”
“Starting the game off was kinda rough,” Heefner admitted. “But I made some adjustments and started throwing some more off-speed pitches to catch ‘em off balance.”
Terre Haute improved its record to 9-8 for the season, having won seven of its last eight games.
Sitting in third place, the Rex trail West Division leader Quincy by five games. Coincidentally, Quincy will be their next home opponent Sunday.
“I think everybody oughta come out and watch that game,” Dorsett emphasized. “We need big fan support… Quincy does a nice job over there and they have a lot of talent, so we need a lot of fans to come out and support us.”
Terre Haute Rex
Related Photos
-
Heat: Rex pitcher Daniel Heefner delivers a pitch to the plate during the first inning of Monday's game against the Hannibal Cavemen.
-
Concerned: Manager Brian Dorsett and assistant coach Jeff Brown communicate during Monday's game against Hannibal. The Rex were down 1-0 in the first inning.
-
Foul ball: Jacob Hayes fouls off a bunt attempt during early inning action against the Hannibal Cavemen at Bob Warn Field Monday night.
Discussion
Terre Haute Rex continue roll, beat Hannibal 5-2
- Terre Haute Rex
-
-
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.
-
Rex out of playoffs
Successful playoff baseball = clean baseball.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Rex defeat Springfield twice, clinch spot in playoffs
It was a long but fruitful night for the playoff-bound Terre Haute Rex.
-
Playoff march continues: Rex creep closer to postseason with victory over Dans
Hire the band, make the floats, and rent out a street.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Aerials Show Path of Oklahoma Destruction
Active Search for Utah Missing Mom Ends
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Raw: Tearful Reunion After Okla. Tornado
Obama Pledges Urgent Aid for Tornado Victims
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
MLB Hoping for Large Replay Expansion in 2014
Horse Saved From Slaughter, Goes on to Win Big
OKC Hospital Describes Treating Tornado Wounded
Raw: Crews Search for Survivors of Okla. Tornado
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
Arias Tells Jury What She'd Do if She Gets Life
The all-new Xbox One
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
VIDEO: Teacher reunites mother and son after tornado levels elementary school in Oklahoma City
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Obama to tornado survivors: The country stands beside you
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
