Alton (IL)  The Alton River Dragons concluded the first half of the season, dropping a 5-3 decision to the Cape Catfish at Lloyd Hopkins Field on Saturday night.

Trailing 5-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth, the River Dragons loaded the bases with no outs.  They were able to score two runs but a Dominick Decker line drive was caught at first base to end the game.

Decker was making a bid for a three-hit game after already picking up two hits previously.

The River Dragons stayed in the game after falling behind 5-1 after four innings thanks to a few relievers who cooled Cape’s league leading offense. Scott Detweiler, Tyson Greene and Jackson Parrill combined to throw four scoreless relief innings with four strikeouts and no walks.

The River Dragons took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an Erik Broekemeier RBI single. 

Cape rallied with three in the third and two in the fourth to take the 5-1 lead.

The River Dragons end the first half of the season 9-17.  The good news is the record resets to 0-0 for the start of the second half on Monday.