Streak ends at three games

If Prospect League games were seven innings instead of nine, the Cavemen would be celebrating its fourth-straight win. But, the games are nine innings and the Richmond RiverRats needed all of them to top the Cavemen 2-1 on Tuesday night at Clemens Field.
The Cavemen (7-15) saw its season-best winning streak snapped at three after the RiverRats put up two runs in the final two innings. Hannibal plated a run in the bottom half of the first inning and led until the top of the eighth. Richmond pushed another run across in the ninth and Hannibal failed to do the same in the bottom half of the inning, despite having two runners on.
“It was a tough one to lose,” Hannibal manager Jay Hemond said.
During the Cavemen’s three-game winning streak, the team received pitching and timely hitting. Tuesday night Hannibal got the first half of the equation. Josh Smith started for the ’Men and kept the club in the ball game. Making just his third start after beginning the season in the bullpen, the left-hander stifled the RiverRats bats. In eight innings of work, Smith struck out eight, allowed seven hits and one unearned run. Displaying pinpoint control, Smith didn’t walk a single batter.
“The umpire had a really good zone,” Smith said. “There were times when I was four inches off the plate, and if I hit my spot, he was giving it to me. So, I just lived out there. I tried to mix it up — come in, come out. I had a good fastball and just everything was working for me.”
Before the game, Smith was unsure if he would be have much success against Richmond. His pregame-bullpen session left something to be desired.
“Honestly, I was a little nervous after my bullpen,” Smith said. “It took me a while to get loose. I felt tight. But I eased into it and got going.”
Smith, a starter in high school, came to Wichita State University as a starter. However, during his freshman campaign, he earned just one start and was regulated to bullpen duty. He came to the Cavemen to work on being better prepared to come out of the ’pen. That was the plan, until he pitched five shutout innings of relief June 12. That performance did two things: it got him moved into the starting rotation and it earned him a phone call from his college coach.
“After I pitched five shutout innings — I guess someone told him about it — he called and he said ‘That’s good stuff,’ so maybe I’ll get another one after this one,” Smith said.
The only run scored off Smith came after a throwing error by first baseman Grant Dozar. With two men on and one out, Dozar fielded a sharp liner and went to second to try and start the double play. His throw sailed wide of shortstop Ashley Graeter and a run scored.
Steve Godawa came in to relieve Smith in the ninth and gave up an RBI double to Richmond’s ninth-place hitter Raymond Fuentes.
Dozar, making his first appearance as a Caveman after spending the past few weeks playing in the College World Series with the eventual National Champion Louisiana State University, came up to bat with two men on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth. After falling behind in the count, Dozar got a hold of one, but it went right to Garrett Stepehenson at first base to end the game. For his Caveman debut, Dozar went 1-for-4 with a walk.
“He’s going to be an exciting player,” Hemond said. “He can swing the bat ­— he’ll add some juice to the lineup.”
A day after scoring 10 runs, a trio of Richmond pitchers (Jimmy Cornell, Joel Bonnett and Adam Painter) cooled the hot Cavemen bats to the tune of just five hits and one run.
The offense, and the rest of the Cavemen, will have a day to rest before it attempts to start a new winning streak Thursday. The Cavemen take on the Chillicothe Paints at Clemens Field. First pitch will be at 6:05 p.m., 30 minutes earlier than usual.