Rex swept at home by Aviators

Jun. 14—"Faith and Family Day" was the theme for the Rex on Sunday at Bob Warn Field, with a chance to tie the visiting Lafayette Aviators for first place in Prospect League baseball's Wabash River Division.

That didn't happen, the Rex giving up an early 4-1 lead to lose 6-5 in the opening seven-inning game, then falling 3-1 in the nightcap. Lafayette is now 12-4, leading the Rex and Danville Dans by four games in the division standings.

Are the Aviators the team to beat in the division, manager A.J. Reed was asked.

"I'd like to think we are," answered Reed, who still has plenty of faith. "We have probably one of the best offenses in the league. Those guys [the Aviators] are a very good team; we've only seen Danville once, but Illinois Valley has been playing good games against us as well."

The Rex looked like they were going to cruise through Sunday's opening game. Kaleb Hannahs legged out a one-out double in the bottom of the first and Rob Weissheier continued his hot streak with an opposite-field homer just above the outstretched glove of Lafayette right fielder Oscar Ponce for a 2-0 lead.

It became a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Kody Putnam singled and scored on a double by Alec Atkinson. Rex starter Benji Downs got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the third with just one run allowed, and the Rex matched that in the bottom of the fourth when Atkinson walked, stole second and third and scored on Weissheier's grounder.

But Downs walked the first two batters on eight pitches that weren't close to the plate to start the top of the fifth, and the visitors were in business.

"He's been pitching well for us. He just ran into a little rough patch," Reed said when asked about Downs later, and three hits that followed gave Lafayette a 5-4 lead.

Another walk to start the sixth inning — to the same leadoff batter, Matthew Ervolina — led to another Lafayette run off reliever Joey Hurth, and now the Rex faced a two-run deficit.

"Any walks hurt," Reed said. "You throw strikes, you win games."

The Rex rallied in the bottom of the seventh when Nate Wolf — a perfect game, 2 for 2 with a pair of walks — walked and Kyle Harbison followed with a double. One run scored on Jack Leverenz's grounder, but the game ended with the tying run 90 feet away.

The Rex managed just three hits off starter Kenny Serwa in the second game, but two of them — a triple by Leverenz and an RBI single by Dylan Janke — produced a run that cut the Lafayette lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth. But after a hit batter put runners at first and second with nobody out, Serwa got two strikeouts and a grounder.

Lafayette went to its closer, Kaleb Honea, in the bottom of the seventh and the same two Rex players struck again, Leverenz and Janke getting back-to-back singles to put the tying run on base with nobody out. Again, however, the Rex failed to rally thanks to a strikeout, a popup and another strikeout.

Both teams are idle until Wednesday, when the Rex will play at Alton.

First game

LAFAYETTE (AB-R-H-RBI) — Ervolina ss 2-2-0-0, Contreras cf 3-1-2-0, Craig 1b 1-1-1-1, Garcia dh 4-1-2-2, Johnson c 4-0-1-2, Snyder 2b 3-0-1-1, Pence rf 3-0-0-0, Mella ph-rf 1-0-0-0, Behling lf 3-0-0-0, Lang 3b 3-1-1-0. Totals 27-6-8-6.

REX (AB-R-H-RBI) — Atkinson 2b 3-1-1-1, Hannahs 3b 3-1-1-0, Weissheier 1b 4-1-1-3, Brunson lf 4-0-0-0, Wolf dh 2-0-2-0, Becker pr 0-1-0-0, Harbison c 4-0-1-0, Leverenz rf 4-0-1-1, Putnam ss 4-1-1-0, Rowan cf 1-0-0-0. Totals 29-5-8-5.

Lafayette=001=041=0=—=6

Rex=210=100=1=—=5

LOB — Lafayette 8, Rex 9. 2B — Hannahs, Atkinson, Johnson, Harbison. HR — Weissheier. SB — Atkinson 2. SF — Snyder.

Lafayette=IP=H=R=ER=BB=SO

Smith=4=6=4=4=4=6

Stover (W)=2.1=2=1=1=2=1

Olegao (S)=0.2=0=0=0=0=1

Rex=IP=H=R=ER=BB=SO

Downs (L)=4=7=5=5=4=2

Hurth=2=1=1=1=3=1

Nitch=1=0=0=0=0=2

Downs pitched to 5 batters in the fifth.

WP — Hurth. T — 2:20.

Next — The Rex (8-8) play Wednesday at Alton. The Aviators (12-4) host Burlington that day.