JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - After a week that saw the Jefferson City Renegades drop two against the Chillicothe Mudcats, a team that entered the series with just three wins to its name, there probably weren’t many expectations as the Renegades turned around for a Friday night double header against the first place Ozark Generals. The Renegades however, looked rejuvenated as they took both games from Ozark – making a statement in the MINK South.
GAME 1
The Renegades (9-6) struggled against the strong Chillicothe starters earlier in the week, so a matchup against Generals (7-6) starter Gyeongju Kim, who hadn’t yet surrendered a run in twelve innings pitched, was far from ideal. It didn’t matter, as the Renegades needed just three hitters to end Kim’s scoreless streak. After a double from Logan Hudson and a walk to Justin McIntryre, Quincy Jones got the Renegades on the board with a base hit. The Renegades never looked back, scoring six more in the quick seven-inning sprint of a ballgame.
In addition to the strong offense, the Renegades received lights out pitching from Dalton Erger and fantastic defense from the Renegades field. Erger pitched the first complete game of the season, saving the bullpen for the second game of the night. He gave up just one run and seven hits, while striking out five and walking just two to move to 2-0 on the year. Meanwhile, Christian Rodriguez received player of the game honors from his defensive successes in the field at shortstop against the Generals.
GAME 2
In game two the Generals bats were much more competitive. Ozark scored early and steadily throughout the better part of the game. They got one in the first, two in the second, and one in the third, fourth and fifth before finally being held scoreless in the sixth.
Unfortunately for Ozark, the Renegades offense was even more potent. In their eight frames in game two, Jefferson City threw up zeroes only twice. They recorded multi-run innings three times behind strong performances from Logan Hudson and Jake Slunder, both of which went 4-for-4 on the night. With the sweep of Ozark the Renegades move to just a half-game out of first place and look to secure the top spot in the division with a win over Sedalia tomorrow night at Ernie Vivion Field.
Watch of the rest of the Renegades' games this season by clicking the box below:
