River Dragons take advantage of free bases to rally to beat Doggy Paddlers

ALTON, Ill. — The Quincy Doggy Paddlers gave away the lead and the game Sunday night.

Leading 4-1 after scoring four times in the top of the seventh inning, the Doggy Paddlers walked in two runs and allowed another to score on an error as the Alton River Dragons scored five times in the bottom of the seventh to earn a 6-4 victory in a Prospect League game at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park.

Quincy (8-12) dropped the second game in a row on a four-game road swing.

Trailing 1-0 going to the seventh, the Doggy Paddlers rallied as Andrew Gould reached on a one-out error, went to third on Jimmy Koza’s single and scored on Wandel Campana’s sacrifice fly. After Tommy Harrison was hit by a pitch, Brayden Roberts belted a three-run home run for a 4-1 advantage.

The lead was short-lived.

A walk, a stolen base, a single and a passed ball put two runners in scoring position for the River Dragons before Kyle Campbell delivered a two-run single. Quincy’s Jared Marty relieved Brady Lowe and promptly struck out the first batter he faced. However, he allowed a single and then walked three consecutive batters, forcing in two runs. The last run scored on an error by Roberts.

The Doggy Paddlers have Monday off before playing back-to-back games at the Clinton LumberKings. Quincy returns to QU Stadium on Thursday to face the River Dragons.