By Cade Haak
WHITE OAK, Texas (August 4, 2024) – In the final game of the four-game series between the Rhinos and the TimberHogs, Texarkana was able to lead from soup to nuts; the final score settled at 22-14.
In a game where it seemed like Texarkana’s hitters could do no wrong, it began right away. Lane Epperson walked in the first, then Neil Jansen hit his tenth home run of the season to give his team a 2-0 lead. Texarkana was not done yet, though Tahj Cunningham was able to get on base due to an error on the shortstop, then was driven in for the third run of the inning on a single from Mason Sellers.
The TimberHogs responded well with two runs, but Texarkana regrouped with three runs in the top of the third to extend their lead. Neil Jansen and Tahj Cunningham were both able to get on the base path by hitting singles, then Aiden Otano hit his first home run of the season to score three runs for Texarkana.
Piney Woods added a single run in the bottom of the inning to keep themselves down by three, but Texarkana began to pull away over the next few innings. Rylan Evans added the lone run in the fourth for Texarkana when he hit a solo home run. In the fifth, Mason Sellers matched Rylan Evans with a solo shot of his own. Then the whole team found themselves in sync as they brought home eight runs in the sixth.
To start the sixth, three Rhinos got on the bases; Jansen and Alex DeLeon were both hit by a pitch, then Aiden Otano walked to load the bases. A fielder’s choice off of Sellers bat allowed Neil Jansen to score but also allowed the TimberHogs to get the second out of the inning. With two outs, Sebastian Huerta was hit by a pitch to load the bases again. An error then let Carter Harris reach first base safely and score Aiden Otano and Mason Sellers. Then Rylan Evans hit a base-clearing double to add two more to the Rhinos total. The TimberHogs then opted to bring in a new pitcher, but Texarkana quickly made them pay for this decision when the first two bats to face the new arm hit home runs. First was Lane Epperson with a two-run bomb, then Neil Jansen hit his second of the game to push the Rhinos run total to 16.
In response to the explosive top of the sixth, the TimberHogs scored 10 runs of their own to bring themselves back into the game and cut the Rhinos lead back to three. Texarkana came back with a six-run top of the seventh to add some insurance runs for themselves. Sebastian Huerta, Carter Harris, and Neil Jansen were able to add RBIs to their statline in the inning, but the other three runs the Rhinos scored were due to defensive lapses on the part of the TimberHogs.
The only run from this point on came in the bottom of the ninth inning from the TimberHogs, but they still fell 8 runs short of the dominant offensive performance the Rhinos put forth. The Rhinos pieced together the win by using six different pitchers to cover the nine-inning game. The win went to Simon Baker, and the save went to Rylan Evans, who pitched the last three innings of the game to help Texarkana secure the win.
