Published: July 02, 2009 01:04 am      

Dans break through late against Ochs

DANVILLE — It was just a matter of time, according to Danville first baseman Dabo Worthington.

Dubois left-hander Joe Ochs retired the first 12 batters he faced in the opening game of Wednesday night’s Prospect League doubleheader at Danville Stadium.

The 13th batter he faced was Worthington and the former Danville High standout drilled a 1-2 pitch off the left-field fence for a double. That hit opened up the flood gates for the Dans, who went on to beat the Bombers 5-1.

“We were hitting the ball hard. Eventually, we knew that we were going to get a couple of hits off of him,” Worthington said. “I fouled off a couple of pitches.”

Right after Worthington battled Ochs for a double, Danville right fielder Austin Green fouled a couple of two-strike pitches before lining a triple into the left-centerfield gap, scoring Worthington with the Dans (12-12) first run of the night.

“That was a great at-bat by Dabo to get it started,” Danville manager Pete Paciorek said. “And, Austin Green followed with a big 3-2 hit to tie the game. Those were really big at-bats by those guys.”

Danville (12-12) took the lead for good when third baseman Jason Nappi drove home Green with a single to center.

That was more than enough offense for Aaron Lambrix, who was making his second start of the summer after starting the year as a reliever.

“The only real difference is that as a starter, you have to pace yourself,” said Lambrix, who improved to 2-0.

The right-hander, who will be attending Abilene Christian this fall, went 5 – innings, allowing one run on six hits while walking one and striking out three.

“Aaron did an outstanding job,” Paciorek said. “I think he has a chance to be one of the top starters for Abiliene Christian.”

With back-to-back victories, the Dans are back to .500 for the third time this season at 12-12.

“This was a big win, especially after our win (on Tuesday),” Worthington said. “Each win builds the momentum for the next one.”

Danville added three insurance runs in the sixth inning on Nate Johnson’s second home run of the summer.