Alton Tops Cape at Season Midway Point

Alton, IL, July 3, 2022 – The Cape Catfish ended the first half of their 2022 Prospect League campaign on a losing note Sunday night, falling on the road to the Alton River Dragons, 7-3.

The loss dropped the Catfish record to 11-19, seven games behind the 18-12 River Dragons who sit atop the Prospect League’s Prairie Land Division.

The River Dragons pounced on Catfish starter Brayden Polzien (Buena Vista University) who lasted just a third of an inning, giving up four runs on three walks on four hits including the first home run of the season to Lewis and Clark Community College’s Mike Hampton.

Alton picked up two more runs in the second inning before Cape got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning thanks to an RBI singles by Belmont University’s Blake Barton and Southeast Missouri State’s Josh Cameron who was added to the Catfish roster last week.

Cape and Alton each scored an unearned run, Alton’s in the bottom of the fifth and Cape’s in the top of the sixth, before the before bullpens tossed shutout ball for the rest of the game.

Alton pitchers limited Cape to eight hits, all of them singles. In addition to Hampton’s home run, Alton had nine other hits including doubles by Kurtis Reid, a redshirt freshman from the University of Louisville, and Blake Guerin who just graduated from high school in Shoreview, Minnesota, and will be attending the University of Iowa in the fall.

Polzein took the loss and is now 1-2 while Alton reliever Eddie King Jr. (University of Louisville) got the win for the River Dragons, his first of the season against no losses.

The Catfish and River Dragons start the second half of their 60-game seasons Monday in a 6:35 p.m. game at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Alton.