(From Hopkinsville) After falling 12-4 in Saturday's opener of the best of 3 championship series, the Hoptown Hoppers held on for a hard-fought 7-6 victory Sunday night in Game 2.  Both teams scattered 9 hits, but key plays and 6 Fulton miscues made the difference.  Hoptown starting pitcher Clayton Dugan threw 100-plus pitches in his 5 innings of work, giving up 5 hits and 4 runs (3 earned) while walking 7 and striking out 3.  Reliever Taylor Vails threw 4 innings in relief, striking out 6 Railroaders, walking one, giving up 4 hits and 2 runs (one earned).

     Fulton took a one-run lead in the opening stanza when Mikee Moore walked, stole second base, advanced to third on a low pitch Hoppers' catcher Brad Sevenish couldn't find at his feet, then scored on a ground out by Angelo Burrage.

     Hoptown came right back with 3 runs in the bottom of the first when Matt McGowan led off with a high long fly that just missed clearing the right field fence, resulting in a double.  Pirtle followed him with a bunt single between the mound and 3rd base, pushing McGowan to 3rd.  Pirtle then advanced to second on Jake Sandlin's groundout to first.  A deep sacrifice fly by Sevenish pushed McGowan across the plate, advancing Pirtle to third.  Phillip Menou then drew a walk and moved to second on a pitch in the dirt.  Seth Bancroft then singled for Hoptown, and Fulton shortstop Austin Bryant's throwing error past first base allowed both Pirtle and Menou to score for a 3-1 Hoptown lead.

     In the top of the second, Fulton got one run back after Rick Linton singled with 2 outs, stole second, followed by Quinton Alexander reaching safely on an error , advancing Linton to third base.  Linton then scored on a Dugan balk, which also moved Alexander to 2nd.  The inning ended when Alexander was picked off trying to steal third.

     Fulton tied the game 3-3 in the top half of the third when Moore led off with a single, advanced to second on Rob Hogenkamp's groundout, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bryant.  Hoptown added a run for a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 3rd when Pirtle walked, followed by Sandlin's flyout to left, a single by Sevenish, Menou reaching on an error; then Bancroft's slow grounder to short stop resulted in Menou forced out at second, but Pirtle crossed the plate for go-ahead run.

     Fulton threatened in the top of the 4th, but failed to come through after Manning walked, moved to second on a nice bunt sacrifice by Linton, followed by an Alexander walk; then Moore flew out to right field, Hogenkamp reached on a slow roller to 3B to load the bases, but Burrage popped out to pitcher Dugan to end the inning.  Hoptown then went up 5-3 in the bottom of 4th as Fernando Tanaka reached on an error, Kaleb Brown walked, McGowan laid down a bunt, resulting in a throwing error by Fulton's shortstop, scoring Tanaka, while Brown advanced to second.  The 4th ended, though, on Sandlin's groundout.

     Fulton edged closer, 5-4, in top of the 5th when Andrew Cash walked, was put out at 2nd on a fielder's choice on Bryant's grounder, but Bryant then stole 2nd, with Joe Mike fouling out and Erik Manning walking; Linton then singled to left to push Bryant home.  But Hoptown then added 2 more runs in the bottom of the 5th after Menou drew a walk, followed by a Bancroft single and a pinch-hit by Collin Massanelli, which loaded the bases.  After Tanaka fouled out for the inning's second out, Brown drilled a single to score both Menou and Bancroft for a 7-4 Hoppers' lead.

     The 6th and 7th innings went scoreless, but Fulton made things interesting in the 8th when Brandon Shaw singled with one out, Moore walked, Hogenkamp hit a high chopper to short to score Shaw; Moore moved to third base then scored when Hopper catcher Sevenish sailed a throw to 2B on Hogenkamp's steal.  Hogenkamp moved on to 3B on the errant throw.  With the score 7-6, Burrage and Cash both struck out to end the inning.  Fulton threatened in the top of the 9th with Billy O'Connor's pinch-hit single (and Jack Henry Jones then ran for him); Jones moved to 2b on Manning's groundout to 3B, but Linton then struck out looking to end the game.

     Fulton's Daniel Szathmary took the pitching loss with 5 innings thrown, giving up 8 hits, all 7 runs (5 earned) while walking four and striking out one.  Brock Downey gave up 1 hit in 3 innings of relief, with 6 strikeouts against one base-on-balls.