Online Staff Report

LOVES PARK, Ill. — Drew Rucinski pitched a complete game for the Rockford RiverHawks Wednesday, Aug. 29, and they used a six-run seventh inning to beat the visiting Road Warriors 9-2.

Rucinski (7-4) threw 91 of his 135 pitches for strikes and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out eight batters. Rucinski’s effort was the first Rockford complete-game win of the year and first since Brett Scarpetta went the distance against the Lake Erie Crushers Aug. 28, 2011.

“Drew did a great job for us tonight,” said RiverHawks Manager Rich Austin. “He battled out there, and I’m happy for him. It was well-deserved.”

Matt Greener’s RBI groundout in the fifth inning gave Rockford a 3-2 lead. In the seventh inning, the RiverHawks sent 10 men to the plate and put up six runs off relievers Kevin McGovern and Jon Jones. Greener’s two-run single made it 5-2, and after Justino Cuevas was intentionally walked to load the bases, Mike Thomas broke the game open with a bases-clearing double that pushed the Rockford lead to 8-2. Thomas later scored on a Jones wild pitch.

Road Warriors’ starter Tyler Vaske (1-2) took the loss, giving up three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

RiverHawks’ shortstop Ted Obregon led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, the second time he has hit a leadoff homer this season. The last time came July 21 at home against the Traverse City Beach Bums.

Greener went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for Rockford, his third-straight three-RBI game. Thomas also had a sacrifice fly and finished the night 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Trevor Whyte went 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 14 games, raising his batting average to .372.

The RiverHawks improved to 39-53, while the Road Warriors fell to 8-24.

The RiverHawks play their last home game of the year Thursday, Aug. 30, with the series finale against the Road Warriors. The probables on the mound are Warriors’ Matt Schimpf (4-8, 5.59 ERA) and RiverHawks’ Ziggie VanderWall (7-6, 5.40 ERA).

Thursday night is the final RiverHawks’ home game of the year, Perry Rock $1 beer night, and American’s Bring it Home Thursday. One lucky fan will walk away with a 40-inch 1080p LCD TV, courtesy of American.

The RiverHawks are members of the Frontier League, an independent professional baseball league in its 20th season. Games are broadcast on NTA-FM (100.5). Advertising and ticket information is available by calling (815) 885-2255. Fans can also visit www.rockfordriverhawks.com ^[1].

Posted Aug. 30, 2012