MC PACK THE PLACE RETURNS!

Just a reminder that tomorrow night, Sat., Aug. 1 is McPack the Night. Tickets are still available at your local McDonalds. McDonalds tickets from the July 11 rainout will also be accepted that evening.

This game is an unusual 5:30 PM Double Header against Quincy.

CHIEF ILLINIWEK NIGHT AT THE STADIUM

Logan Ponce, the reigning Chief Illiniwek will appear at Danville Stadium on August 7th. The Dans play Dubois at 6:30 PM in their last regular season home game of 2009.

Tickets for the game may be obtained from Bud's Car Cellular and Home Theatre and from Thrivent Financial of Champaign Urbana.

Watch this site for further details.

Dans defeat Dragons with late rally

Three runs in the late innings propelled the Danville Dans to a 3-2 win over the visiting Dupage Dragons at Danville Stadium on Thursday evening.

Danville shortstop Austin Nola led off the eighth inning of the 2-2 game with what might be described as a rarely seen bloop triple. Nola was jammed on a ball that fell along the line in shallow right field and between three sprinting, diving Dupage fielders, who couldn’t retrieve it in time to prevent Nola from getting the key three-bagger. The next batter, Chris Lewellyn, lined an RBI single into center field to plate Nola with the deciding run.

It wasn’t looking good for Danville early, though. The Dragons opened the scoring with a run in the third. Brian Martin led off with a single and stole second on a confusing play, as he jogged slowly to second on an 0-2 pitch with the Danville infielders initially standing frozen. Dupage made Danville pay two batters later when Adam Davis knocked an RBI single into center for the early lead.

Dupage tallied another run an inning later. Danville seemed to be in good shape when the Dragons’ Sean Flanagan struck out with two outs, but he advanced to first when the ball got past Danville catcher Jason Hamm. Dupage's Andrew Brauer followed with an RBI triple down the right-field line that fell just out of the reach of a diving Austin Green.

Dragons starter Steve Sabatino cruised through the first six innings. After allowing a one-out Byron Williams single in the first and walking Jason Nappi, the lefty retired 16 of the next 17 Dans. Defying conventional pitching wisdom, Sabatino got nine of those 18 outs via fly balls. But his penchant for the flyout caught up to him in the seventh inning, when Dabo Worthington followed a Nappi leadoff single with a towering two-run home run far over the fence in left field to tie the game.

Despite his early brilliance, Sabatino took the loss, throwing seven innings and exiting after giving up hits to Nola and Lewellyn in the eighth. He allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four.

Danville reliever Kyle Donawerth grabbed the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Greg Houston picked up the save with a 1-2-3 ninth and was aided by a great play from first baseman Worthington, who reached into the Dupage dugout on a foul pop-up and secured the second out of the final frame. Starter Donavan Drake turned in a quality start for the Dans, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings while striking out five.

Williams led Danville with two hits, and Worthington was 1-for-3 with the home run, two RBIs and a walk. Martin and shortstop Barrett Serrato each went 2-for-4 for the Dragons.

Danville improves to 25-20 with the win. The Dans play at division-leading Quincy on Friday evening before returning home to again face Quincy in a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch for the opener Saturday is 5:30 p.m.

AT BAT FOR A CURE TONIGHT

Reminder - tonight (Thursday, July 30) is At Bat for A Cure! A portion of the gate proceeds will go to support area breast cancer programs. See you there!

Pro Ball Update

Looking for your favorite Dan? Here are a few currently playing in pro ball. Players below are listed by name, year with the Dans, current club, level & affiliate.

1 Kaczrowski, Dan 2008 Yakima Bears A-Short Season Dbacks
2 Flanagan, John 2008 Burlington Royals Rookie Kansas City
3 Bowen, Ricky 2007 Billings Mustangs Rookie Cincinnati Reds
4 Roling, Kiel 2007 Asheville Tourists A Rockies
5 Schimpf, Ryan 2007 Dunedin, FL Rookie Toronto Blue Jays
6 Powell, Jordan 2005-06-07 Lancaster JetHawks A-Advanced Houston Astros
7 McGuiness, Chris Lowell Spinners Rookie Boston Red Sox
8 Black, Dan 2007 Kannapolis Intimidators A White Sox
9 Coleman, Louis 2006 Burlington Bees A Kansas City
10 Weatherford, Aaron 2006 Tri-City Dust Devils A-Short Season Rockies
11 Button, Evan 2006 Yakima Bears A-Short Season Dbacks
12 Duron, Denny 2006 Spokane Indians A-Short Season Texas Rangers
13 Roark, Tanner 2006 Bakersfield Blaze A-Advanced Texas Rangers
14 Alvino, Billy 2006 Lakeland Flying Tigers A-Advanced Detroit Tigers
15 Stowell, Bryce 2006 Kinston Indians A-Advanced Cleveland Indians
16 Pecina, Ricardo 2006 Hagerstwon Suns A Baltimore O's
17 Born, David 2006 Casper Ghosts Rookie Nationals
18 Cryer, Justin 2005 Auburn Doubledays A-Short Season Toronto Blue Jays
19 Moreland, Mitch 2005 Frisco Rough Riders AA Texas Rangers
20 Napoleon, Dusty 2005 Kane County Cougers A Oakland A's
21 Roemer, Wes 2005 Mobile Bay Bears AA San Diego
22 Snyder, Justin 2005 Trenton Thunder AA NY Yankees
23 Worth, Danny 2005 Erie Sea Wolves AA Detroit Tigers
24 Flagg, Jeff 2005 Kingsport Mets Rookie NY Mets
25 Schenk, Neil 2005 Bowling Green Hot Rods A Tampa Bay Rays
26 Coghlan, Chris 2004 Florida Marlins MLB Florida Marlins
27 Hammond, Steve 2004 Fresno Grizzlies AAA Milwaukee Brewers
28 Abruzzo, Jordan 2004 Savannah Sand Gnats A NY Mets
29 Feiner, Korey 2003 Carolina Mudcats AAA Seattle Mariners
30 Pope, Van 2003 Gwinnett Braves AAA Atlanta Braves
31 Daley, Matt 2003 Colorado Rockies MLB Colorado Rockies
32 Holt, J.C. Gwinnett Braves AAA Atlanta Braves
33 Stults, Eric 2001 LA Dodgers MLB (currently AAA rehab assignment)
34 Papelbon, Jon 2001 Boston Red Sox MLB Boston Red Sox
35 Tolbert, Matt 2001 Minnesota Twins MLB Minnesota Twins
36 Ruiz, Randy 1999 Las Vegas 51s AAA Toronto Blue Jays
(MLB with Twins 2008)
37 Anderson, Jason Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs AAA Philadelphia Phillies
(MLB 1st with Yankees)

Rain Alters Dans Schedule

Sadly, last nights 2 buck Tuesday game against the Quincy Gems was rained out right at game time.

Happily, it will become part of a McDonalds McPack the Place double header this coming Saturday, Aug. 1. Game time has been changed to 5:30 PM......an old fashioned twi-night double header for Dans fans!

BOWEN INKS WITH REDS

Dans alumni Ricky Bowen (2007 - Miss State) has signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization and will report to their Billings Montana (Pioneer League) team. Bowen was selected by the Reds in the 43rd round of this year's player draft.

Two Buck Tuesday

The Danville Dans are home tonight for a 6:30 game vs the Quincy Gems on Two Buck Tuesday.

Thursday night the Dans are home again for Provena Foundations At Bat for a Cure Night.

Friday night - McDonalds will "McPack the Place" as the Dans take on Quincy.

Dans Alumni Signs with Blue Jays

Ryan Schimpf (Dans 2007), LSU outfielder/infielder has signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and will join the club's Rookie League affiliate in Dunedin, FL.


Ryan helped lead the Tigers to the 2009 College World Series Championship hitting .336 on the year with 19 doubles, 1 triple, 22 home runs, 73 runs and 70 RBI's.

At Bat for a Cure

Thursday, June 30th, is Provena Foundation and Danville Stadium "At Bat for a Cure" Breastcancer Night. One half of the night's gate will go to support local breast cancer programs.

The Dans will also be selling pink hellium balloons for $2 each. Names will be written on the balloons in memory of, or in recognition, of a breast cancer patient. The Dans will carry the balloons to the field for the National Anthem before they are released.

In addition, the Dans will use pink bats through their 1st at bat. Those bats will be signed by the Dans and become part of a silent auction. 2010 season tickets and souvenir baseballs will also be part of the auction.

GAME ON FOR CELLULAR ONE POSTER NIGHT

TONIGHT'S GAME AGAINST THE RICHMOND RIVER CATS WILL SEE THE FIRST PITCH AT 6:30 PM. IT IS CELLULAR ONE POSTER NIGHT WITH THE 1ST 1000 PEOPLE RECEIVING A POSTER OF THE 2009 DANVILLE DANS.

IT IS ALSO 1ST ILLINOIS CREDIT NIGHT. THE DANS ALSO WELCOME EMPLOYEES OF AUTOZONE.

Dans fall 8-2 to Cavemen

The Hannibal Cavemen used eight unanswered runs to top the Danville Dans 8-2 on Thursday evening at Danville Stadium.

Danville didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard. Byron Williams walked with one out in the bottom of the first, and Nate Johnson followed with a home run to right field for a 2-0 lead.

But it was all Cavemen from there, as they came back in third inning. Curtis Ford walked to open the inning, and Colin Hofmann reached safely when Danville starter Matt Smith’s underhand toss to first on Hofmann’s bunt sailed high. Ashley Graeter followed with a single that hit the third-base bag and popped into left field, scoring Ford. Hofmann later scored on a Grant Dozar sacrifice fly to tie the game at two.

The Cavemen broke the tie in the fourth with three runs with the help of some more shaky Dans defense. Tommy Diibon was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Brett Frantini followed with a single. Garrison McLagen then rolled a grounder to second base that got over the glove of the Dans’ Frank Rawdow, scoring Diibon and sending Frantini to third. Ford singled home Frantini, and McLagen crossed the plate two batters later on a Graeter RBI double to make to 5-2.

The Danville offense was held in check by Graeter, who earned the win for Hannibal and allowed two runs in seven innings while striking out six. The Dans two on with one out in the sixth, but Graeter struck out Richie Goodenow and Austin Green to get out of the jam.

Hannibal added two runs in the seventh on four hits, the damage coming on a Frantini RBI single and a Ford RBI double. Danville again had a chance to rally in the bottom half, putting two runners in scoring position with one out. But Graeter thwarted the rally by retiring Rawdow and Williams on pop-ups in the infield to preserve the 7-2 lead.

The Cavemen scored once more in the ninth on Ford’s RBI double. The second baseman finished 3-for-3 on the night with two RBIs and a run scored, and he reached base in every at-bat, also drawing a walk and getting hit by a pitch. Graeter had three hits and a pair of RBIs, while Frantini was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs.

Johnson led the Danville offense, going 2-for-4 with the homer and two RBIs. Smith took the loss for the Dans. The righty allowed five runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

With the loss, Danville falls to 21-19 and sits four games behind division leader Quincy.

Dans take two from Hannibal

Danville swept Hannibal in a pair of seven-inning games in a doubleheader Wednesday evening at Danville Stadium. Danville won both games by the score of 3-2.

The Dans won the nightcap in dramatic fashion, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Austin Nola got the rally started with a lead-off single and advanced to third with two outs. Dabo Worthington then lined a clutch single into left with to tie the contest, and two batters later pinch hitter Richie Goodenow singled to center for the win.

Game two was a pitcher’s duel in the early going. The game remained scoreless into the sixth inning, as Hannibal pitcher Jon Gulbransen and Danville hurler Codie Rollins were terrific. Gulbransen allowed just one hit in his first four innings of work and retired eight in a row at one point. The only Danville runner get into scoring position in the first four innings was Ryan Van Amburg, who singled to right with two outs in the second and advanced to third when Cavemen right fielder mishandled the ball. But Gulbransen retired Jason Hamm on a strikeout to keep zeroes on the board.

Rollins matched Gulbransen, throwing four scoreless innings and running into his only real trouble in the fourth inning, when he got in a bases-loaded, one-out jam. But Rollins got out of the inning unscathed when he caught Bryce Tafelski looking for strike three and retired Tommy Diibon on a groundout.

Gulbransen got out of a jam of his own in the fifth. With runners at first and second and one out, he induced a foul pop-up off the bat of Austin Nola. Danville’s Lewellyn then got on via an infield single up the middle, but Van Amburg, running from second on the play, was gunned down at the plate trying to steal a run.

Hannibal got in the board in the sixth inning. After two singles and a walk loaded the base with no outs, Bryce Tafelski grounded a ball to short, where Danville’s Nola muffed it for an error, allowing the first run to score. Tommy Diibon followed with a pop-up to right center that deflected off the glove of Mahtook, the Danville center fielder. He threw to second for a force-out, but another run scored to give Hannibal a 2-0 lead.

Danville got a run back in their half of the sixth on an Austin Green RBI single and had a chance to go ahead with the bases loaded and two outs later in the inning. But Johnson’s liner to right was grabbed by a sliding Burton in right field to end the inning and preserve the Hannibal lead for just an inning, until Danville won it with late heroics.

Gulbransen allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision. He struck out seven, allowed four hits and walked three. James Hudelson took the loss for Hannibal, allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Ryan Cabral got the win for Danville, throwing 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

In game one, Hannibal opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second without a hit. Kyle Gaedele walked to lead off the inning and quickly stole second. After advancing to third on a groundout, he scored on Matt Burton’s RBI groundout to first to give the Cavemen a 1-0 lead.

That advantage didn’t last long, though, as the Dans scored a run of their own in the bottom half. Three walks sandwiched around a pair of outs loaded the bases, and Danville’s Byron Williams came through with a single to center to tie it at one apiece.

Danville tallied another run in the third inning, when Mikie Mahtook led off with a double to left-center field and scored on a Nate Johnson single to right. The Dans missed an excellent chance to extend the lead in the fourth, as they loaded with no outs. But Hannibal starter Karl Whitley dug deep to get out of the jam, retiring Williams on a foul pop-up, Frank Rawdow on a fielder’s choice and Mahtook on a pop-up to second base to get out of the inning unharmed.

The Cavemen tied it in the fifth inning. A walk, a hit by pitch and wild pitch put runners on the corners, and with one out Ashley Graeter singled in Brett Frantini. But Hannibal also squandered any further scoring chances on the play, as Frantini got caught in a rundown between first and second while trying to advance on the throw in. The Danville fielders soon abandoned that rundown to get Curtis Ford, who was running from first on the play. Ford reached third and tried for home before getting tagged out in a rundown for the rarely seen 9-6-3-4-5-2-1 putout.

Danville scored the deciding run in the last of the sixth. Chris Lewellyn led off and reached when his bunt was bobbled by Cavemen first baseman Grant Dozar for an error. Two out later, Lewellyn stole second, and he scored when Johnson, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, lined a single to left.

Danville starter Jacob Lee held Hannibal pitched effectively, giving up two runs in 4 2/3 innings on just one hit while walking three. Greg Houston threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to get the victory, and Brett Huber picked up the save with a scoreless seventh. Whitley allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings and got a no-decision. Hannibal reliever Justin Lucas took the loss, allowing a run in 1 1/3 innings.

With the sweep, Danville is now 21-18. The Dans and Cavemen play again Thursday in Danville.

Dans top Dragons with two late runs

The Danville Dans rode strong pitching and two eighth-inning runs to a 3-1 victory over the Dupage Dragons on Tuesday evening at Danville Stadium.

Danville opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back one-out singles by Mikie Mahtook and Jason Nappi put runners and first and second. After Mahtook advanced to third on a flyout, Nate Johnson followed with a single to left that gave the Dans a 1-0 lead.

The score would stay that way into the fifth, as Danville starter Justin Amlung and Dupage starter Tom Zelasko were on top of their games. Zelasko allowed just one run in seven innings of work while striking out five. Amlung retired the first seven Dragon batters of the contest, and threw 5 2/3 innings while allowing one unearned run on three hits..

The only time the Dupage got to Amlung was in the top of the fifth. After Barrett Serrato walked to lead off the frame, Matthew Mirabal laid down a sac bunt in front of home plate. Amlung got to the ball in time to make a play, but his throw sailed up the line and Dans first baseman Dabo Worthington couldn’t make the grab with Mirabal arriving at the bag. The runners advanced to second and third on the play, and Serrato eventually scored when Johnson, the Danville catcher, made a throwing error trying to pick off Brian Martin from first.

A great “strike ‘em out, throw ’em out” double play prevented Dupage from scoring any more in the inning and taking the lead. With Martin still on first and Mirabal on third, the count ran full on batter Dan Scahill. With Martin running, Scahill went down swinging, and Johnson fired to second. But Danville second baseman Austin Nola cut the throw off and fired a bullet back to home plate to nail Mirabal, who tried to steal home on the throw, by just an eyelash.

The game remained tied until the Dans half of the eighth, when Worthington led off with a double to left center. He advanced to third on Johnson’s bloop single to left and then scored on Scott Schauer’s sacrifice fly to deep center. Walks to Nola and Byron Williams later in the inning loaded the bases, and the Dans got an insurance run when Ryan Van Amburg scored on a wild pitch to give the game its final margin.

Ryan Cabral picked up the win for Danville. He struck out four in two scoreless innings of work and got the final out when Worthington made a nice running, over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory to end the game with the tying run at the plate.

Taylor Dennis took the loss for Dupage, as he allowed the two runs in the eighth inning. The Dragons were led offensively by Martin, who went 2-for-3 with a walk.

Danville outhit Dupage 10-4 in the game. Johnson, Nappi, Mahtook and Frank Rawdow each had two hits for the Dans. Richie Goodenow was strong in a middle relief role, tossing 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball and striking out three.

With the win, Danville improves to 19-18. The Dans host Hannibal in a doubleheader Wednesday.

Late rally propels Danville past Springfield

The Danville Dans used a furious late-inning rally to come from behind and defeat the Springfield Sliders 8-7 on Saturday evening at Danville Stadium.

The Dans, who trailed 7-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, scored in each of the last four innings, capping their win with a lone run in the bottom of the ninth on Austin Green’s one-out single to right that scored Austin Nola, who led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.

Danville tied the game in a wild eighth inning that featured three runs, two errors, an ejection and a double play. The inning got started when Chris Lewellyn walked, and Richie Goodenow followed with a routine grounder that got past Sliders first baseman Dennis Vaughn. After a sac fly made the score 7-5, Nate Johnson singled and Dabo Worthington doubled, cutting the deficit to 7-6 and putting runners at second and third.

A walk to Ryan Van Amburg loaded the bases, and it appeared Danville tied it when a 3-1 pitch to Jason Hamm was high and initially not signaled a strike by the home plate umpire. But after the ump raised his hand belatedly to call a strike – prompting Danville manager Pete Paciorek to argue and get ejected – Hamm hit a slow roller to up the middle that was booted by Sliders shortstop Trevor Adams to tie the game at seven. Cody Yount then grounded into a double play to end the inning and set up the last-inning heroics.

Mark Lamm picked up the win for Danville by throwing a scoreless ninth inning. Swank took the loss, throwing 1 1/3 innings and allowing four runs, two of which were earned. Danville starter Matt Smith struggled, going just three innings and allowing five runs on six hits. Springfield controlled the game early behind starter Phil Schreiber, who allowed two runs in six innings.

The Sliders took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single by Adams. The Dans responded quickly, tying the contest at one in the bottom half when Nola drew a bases-loaded walk after a lengthy at-bat.

But Springfield scored the next six runs with a trio of two-run innings. In the third, Sean Finucane led off with a single and scored on Josh Parr’s RBI double. Parr then came around on a Ryan Mooney single for to give the Sliders a 3-1 lead.

Adams ignited Springfield in the next two innings. In the fourth, he tripled into the right-field corner to plate Scott Thornburg, and two batters later another Finucane single made it 5-1. One frame later, Adams again hit an RBI triple and scored to give Springfield a 7-1 lead.

Danville slowly chipped away at the lead, though. After one-out singles by Van Amburg and Hamm in the sixth inning, a Yount RBI groundout cut the deficit to 7-2. Yount again came through in the seventh, when he drove a two-out, two-run single into left field to make it a 7-4 ballgame.

Until late, the Dans couldn’t fully capitalize on all their chances. In addition to leaving two runners stranded to end the seventh inning, Danville left the bases loaded in the second, fifth and sixth innings. A big reason was the play of TJ Blanton in center field for the Sliders. He ran down a rocket off the bat of Nate Johnson to end the bottom of the fifth, and an inning later he one-upped himself with a sliding catch on Richie Goodenow’s sinking liner.

Adams went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs for Springfield, and Parr was 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Nate Johnson led the Danville offense, going 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI. Yount had three RBIs.

With the win, Danville improves to 17-17 on the year.

GAO GROTTO RESCHEDULES GAME NIGHT

Gao Grotto Night at the Dans has been rescheduled to July 22nd. That night will be a double hearder against Hannibal beginning at 6:00 PM.

MCDONALDS MCPACK THE PLACE RESCHEDULED

Tonight's game against the Danville Dans has been called for rain. McDonalds McPack the Place and WDAN night will be rescheduled for August 1. All McDonalds tickets will be accepted at the gate.

The game against Hannibal will be rescheduled as part of a 6 PM double header on July 22nd.

Watch this site for a Quaker employee night reschedule date as well as the Gao Grotto.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY

Tonight's game against the North Coast Knights was called approximately 1 hour after game time due to rain and field conditions.

If the game is needed in the standings, it will be rescheduled late in the season.

For current game information call 217-497-2261.

July 8 Game

At this time, crews are working on the field. We will do everything possible to play tonight's game. Expect the possibility of a late start.

Dans top Quincy in rain-shortened contest

Danville Stadium was home to a pitcher’s duel amidst a driving rain Tuesday night, and it was the home team Dans who came out victorious with a 2-0 win over the Quincy Gems in a game that was called in the bottom of the sixth inning because of the rain.

The game was scoreless into the bottom of the fifth, when Danville’s Jason Nappi drew a one-out walk. Two batters later, Dabo Worthington provided the only offense of the game when he hit a high fly to left field that carried through the rain and just over the fence for a two-run homer.

The starting pitchers were on top of their games early on. Danville hurler Aaron Lambrix worked around a bases loaded jam in the first inning by striking out the side. Nine of the first 12 outs Lambrix got came via the strikeout, and he fanned 11 in the contest.

Lambrix (2-2) allowed just four hits and walked two in his six-inning, rain-shortened complete game. At one point, he retired 10 consecutive Quincy hitters.

Quincy starter Jarred Hippen was strong in the early going as well. The lefty allowed just one hit in the first four frames and struck out seven in the game. Hippen was helped by strong defense from center fielder Luke Schlecte, who threw out Danville’s Scott Schauer at the plate in the second inning after Chris Lewellyn’s single up the middle.

Hippen (4-2) gave up two runs on two hits and walked four, with Worthington’s home run being his only blemish. He was relieved by Aaron Brett to begin the bottom half of the sixth, but the game was called after Quincy third baseman John Lorenz slipped and fell while attempting to field a slow roller off the bat of the leadoff man, Schauer.

There were only seven total hits in the game, and no player had multiple hits. The Gems left runners in scoring position in the first, fourth and fifth innings.

Danville manager Pete Paciorek was ejected in the bottom of the fourth for arguing.

With the win, the Dans improve to 15-15 while Quincy drops to 19-9.

Dans split with Dubois

The Danville Dans and Dubois County Bombers split a pair of seven-inning games Wednesday night at Danville Stadium. Danville took the first contest 5-1 with some timely late hitting, and Dubois responded with a 5-4 win in a back-and-forth battle in game two.

In game one, Justin Miller and John Hotta each doubled in the second inning to give Dubois an early 1-0 lead. The Bombers kept that advantage behind some great pitching early on from starter Joe Ochs, who was perfect through the first four innings.

But Danville got to Ochs in the fifth. Dabo Worthington led off with a double, and Austin Green knocked him in with a triple to deep left-center field that just deflected off the glove of diving Bombers center fielder Gavin Green. Jason Nappi then followed with a sharp single up the middle to give the Dans a 2-1 lead, even though they’d been outhit 6-3 at that point.

Danville added on in the sixth inning. Chris Lewellyn reached on an error, and Jason Hamm singled. Nate Johnson then ended any hope of a Bombers comeback with a three-run shot to right field that chased Ochs and gave the game its final 5-1 margin.

Aaron Lambrix (2-1) picked up the win for Danville, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and kept the game close early by escaping a one-out jam with runners on second and third in the fourth inning. Greg Houston got his second save of the year by stranding two runners in the sixth inning and pitching a scoreless seventh.

Ochs (0-1) took the loss for Dubois. He allowed five run – four earned – in 5 1/3 innings. At the plate in game one, the Bombers were led by Miller, who went 3-for-3 with a run and two doubles.

Danville had five players with one hit and – in the quirky stat-of-the-day column – didn’t strand a runner in game one.

In the second contest, the Bombers went ahead 1-0 on a Miller RBI single in the first inning. The Dans responded in the bottom half with two runs on an Austin Green RBI groundout and a run-scoring wild pitch.

It stayed that way until the fourth inning, when Dubois’ Brennan Malham had an RBI triple and scored on a Hotta sacrifice fly. That lead was short-lived, however, as Ryan Van Amburg drilled a pitch into deep center and raced around the bases for a rare inside-the-park home run

The Danville lead didn’t last long either. In the top of the fifth, Chadd Krist laid a perfectly-place bunt down the third-base line for a single. He then scored on Malham’s second extra-base hit of the contest, a double to left field that tied the game at four.

It was Hotta who came up with the biggest hit, though. The right fielder smacked a two-out RBI triple to score Malham with the winning run in the top of the seveth.

The two starting pitchers took no-decisions. Danville’s Codie Rollins allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings, and Dubois’ Phillip Byrd gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings. Mark Lamm took the loss for Danville, while James Page picked up the win. Matt Antos threw a 1-2-3 seventh for the save.

At the plate, the Bombers were led by Malham, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs, a double and a triple. Danville only managed three hits in the loss and was paced by Van Amburg’s 1-for-2, two-RBI performance.

With the split, the Dans are now 12-13. Their next home contest is Tuesday against the Quincy Gems.