​HUNTINGBURG, Ind. – In a split Friday doubleheader, the Johnstown Mill Rats defeated the Dubois County Bombers 7-3 in the nightcap after dropping a 4-3 decision in the suspended Thursday matchup. Johnstown surged with six runs across the fourth through sixth innings to secure the win, while Dubois County fought back to make it competitive.
In the second game, Johnstown received a multi-hit performance from Brock Budacki, who joined Brady Gavula and Caleb Rey with two hits apiece. Budacki and Gavula each doubled, and Brodie Kuzior contributed an extra-base hit as well. Cole Kuszak earned the win on the mound, allowing three runs over 4 2/3 innings. Landen Walker added 1 1/3 scoreless frames, and Kyle Moczygemba closed it out with a clean seventh inning.
The Mill Rats grabbed the early lead when Rey lofted a sacrifice fly in the first inning to put Johnstown ahead 1-0. Dubois County answered back in the bottom half with two runs, as two RBI groundouts helped the Bombers reclaim a 2-1 advantage.
The turning point came in the fourth inning, when Landen Rozich connected on a sacrifice fly and Jordan Treadwell scored on a wild pitch to put Johnstown back on top at 3-2. The Mill Rats widened the gap in the fifth and sixth frames, with Kriss Sydlowski delivering an RBI bunt single and Gavula delivering a two-run hit to stretch the lead to 6-2. Budacki contributed an RBI double in the sixth to finalize the scoring at 7-3.
Dubois County responded in the bottom of the ninth of the first game (the suspended portion) with a late rally. Ian Cartwright drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, and Hudson Allen and John DiGregorio were intentionally walked to load the bases before Cartwright delivered an RBI double in the first inning of the first contest. Nate Ozuna added a run-scoring single to push the lead to 3-0. Rozich answered for Johnstown with a two-run homer in the fourth, and Caden Throneberry tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth. Rozich finished with three hits, and Caleb Smith contributed two. Cartwright collected two RBIs and DiGregorio also had two hits in the nightcap, while DiGregorio and Cartwright each produced two hits in the early game as well.
Johnstown’s pitching duo of Chris Lazano and Connor O’Neil supplied solid relief, combining for six innings of shutout relief. Lazano worked five innings of one-hit, shutout relief with six strikeouts, and O’Neil added 2 1/3 innings with four strikeouts, not allowing a run. For Dubois County, Zach Dellerman worked four innings of relief, yielding one run while striking out seven. Andrew Noblitt tossed a clean ninth to seal the victory.
In the completion of the suspended game, Cartwright’s two RBIs and DiGregorio’s two hits helped the Bombers build an early lead. Rozich’s two-run homer in the fourth provided Johnstown with a spark, and Throneberry’s fifth-inning RBI single tied the game before Rozich’s late offense propelled the Mill Rats to victory in the nightcap.
Overall, the Friday doubleheader showcased a balanced attack from Johnstown, with Rey, Budacki, Gavula, Rozich, and Sydlowski contributing critical hits at key moments. The Mill Rats leaned on timely hitting and productive at-bats, combined with steady pitching from Kuszak, Walker, and Moczygemba, to secure the win in the nightcap after a competitive first game. The results leave both teams with momentum to build on as the season continues, and fans can anticipate another tightly contested matchup when they meet again on the schedule.