Lucky Horseshoes defeat Dans for Wabash River Division Championship

The Basics
Score: Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 6, Danville Dans 4
Records: Springfield Lucky Horseshoes (26-29, 1-0), Danville Dans (33-24, 0-1)
Location: Danville Stadium - Danville, Illinois | The Corn Crib - Normal, Illinois

DANVILLE/NORMAL, IL  – The Springfield Lucky Horseshoes are headed to the Eastern Conference Championship game with a 6-4 extra-inning victory over the Danville Dans on Sunday at Danville Stadium and on Monday at The Corn Crib.

The Wabash River Division Champion Lucky Horseshoes will travel to Chillicothe to face the Paints, the winner of the Ohio River Valley Division, in the Eastern Conference Championship on Tuesday.

The Dans and the Lucky Horseshoes teams battled through 13 innings, 2 days, 2 different locations and ended 22 hours and 30 minutes after the initial first pitch to finally crown the Wabash River Division Champion.

The Dans scored the first runs on the game before 6:00 pm on Sunday, scoring in the bottom of the 1st inning in Danville on a Chase Vinson groundout and a Nate Chester single to grab 2-0 lead.

The bats went quiet after that will 2 total hits over the next 3 innings, but Springfield grabbed what they hoped would be the deciding lead in the top of the 6th. 

Mark Kattula singled home Payton Matthews, Trent Koehler brought in William Zareh with a double, and Hunter Moser scored Koehler and Kaden Griffitts on a single to give the Lucky Horeshoes a 4-2 lead after 6 innings.

The game and the offenses went quiet again as the two teams combined for 2 hits over the 7th, 8th, and top of the 9th before the Dans decided their season wouldn't end in the bottom of the 9th of the Wabash River Division Championship at home for the 2nd straight season.

Chester walked, Nate Vargas singled, and Lance Gardiner flew out to center for a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 4-3 with 1-out in the 9th. Jake Stadler was hit by a pitch advancing Vargas to scoring position at 2nd base. Then DJ Akiyama struck out for the 2nd out, but Trenton Pallas became the game-tying hero with a 2-out RBI single to send the game to extras tied 4-4.

One extra inning was played in Danville on Sunday night before the rain suspended the game and the two teams picked up play at 3:00 PM on Monday in Normal. 

A quiet 11th led the teams to start with a runner on 2nd, the regular season Prospect League extra innings rule, for the remainder of the game. The teams were quiet again in the 12th before Springfield finally broke through in the top of the 13th. 

Bryce Stenzel started at 2nd and Payton Matthews laid down a bunt to try to advance Stenzel to 3rd, but Danville reliever Carter Sabal threw past the 3rd baseman and into left field allowing Stenzel in to score what would be the game-winning run. Springfield added 1 more for insurance with a Dawson Johns solo home run and followed with a scoreless bottom of the 13th to give the Lucky Horeshoes the 6-4 victory in 13 innings.

Turning Point

One miscue is all it takes to break a tie in extra innings. The Lucky Horseshoes took advantage of the extra inning rule and scored the winning run on a throwing error on a bunt by a Danville reliever, a whole 22 hours after the game began over an hour away. 

Inside The Box Score

• Pitching was phenomenal on both sides as Tyler Fay struck out 7 only giving up 1 run in 4.2 innings for the Dans and Mitch Dye struck out 6 giving up 2 runs in 5.1 innings for the Lucky Horseshoes.

• Blake Binderup spun 3.1 no-hit and shut-out innings for the Dans striking out 7 to give them their opportunity to tie the game in the 9th. 

• Bryce Stenzel picked up the win for the Lucky Horseshoes going all 3 extra innings on day two and giving up no hits, no runs, only 1 walk, and striking out 1.

• The teams combined for 3 extra-base hits, all on the Lucky Horseshoes side, as Dawson Johns in his 6th and 7th at-bats of the game grabbed a double and home run.

Notes

• This is Springfield's first-ever Prospect League Division Championship. As the Lucky Horseshoes, in year two under the new name, break a 13-year drought. 

• The Dans fall in the playoffs for the 5th straight season without reaching the title game. The Dans have made the playoffs in 5 straight years, but haven't claimed a Division Title since 2019 and haven't made the Prospect League Championship Series since 2010.

• The Lucky Horseshoes will look to end more droughts through the rest of the playoffs. A victory on Tuesday would give them their first Conference Championship and send them to the Prospect League Championship for the first time in their 14-year history.

Up Next

Springfield advances to Tuesday's Conference Championship round and will face the Chillicothe Paints, the Ohio River Valley Division Champions, in the Eastern Conference Championship. Game time Tuesday is 7:05 PM (EDT) and will be hosted by Chillicothe at VA Memorial Stadium.