The Rangers fell victim to a walk-off check-swing single to lose game one 9-8 but rebounded with a 3-1 victory in the nightcap. The Rangers paired up with the Mad River Machine for a doubleheader on Sunday, May 31 at Kettering Fields.

 

Ryan Meinert took the bump for game 1 and blanked the Machine over the first four innings. The Rangers gave Meinert and early lead scoring three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Phil Dickerson led off with a single. Brennen Glass followed with a single, and Robert Riley was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Joe Staten hit a sac fly for the first run, and Todd Peck grounded out to plate another. Jonmarc Lippincott singled to drive in Riley.

 

The Machine finally got to Meinert in the bottom of the fifth with five straight hits to take a 4-3 lead.

 

The Rangers regained the lead in the sixth. Todd Peck walked in between a pair of flyouts. Lippincott then walked. Rob Armour smacked an RBI single in his first Rangers’ at-bat to tie the game. Kody Barth drove in a pair of runs with a double to center field. Dickerson followed with a two-run single to give the Rangers an 8-4 lead.

 

Eric Jordan relieved Meinert in the sixth and struck out the first four batters he faced.  With one out in the bottom of the seventh, the Machine mounted their comeback.

 

Clinging to an 8-7 lead with two outs and runners on second and third base, Jordan forced John Webb into a check swing. The only problem was that the check swing made contact with the pitch and resulted in a bloop single over the first baseman to plate the tying and winning runs for the Machine.