7/3/2025
By George Lucas
The Johnstown Mill Rats provided some fireworks of their own on fireworks night at Sargent’s Stadium at The Point Thursday as they hold off the Alton River Dragons 5-4.
The announced crowd of 4,528 watched the Mill Rats take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Cooper Rasmussen scored from third on a balk by River Dragons starter Jackson Parrill.
It stayed that way until the fifth when Alton pushed across a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead.
Johnstown regained the lead—and then some—in the sixth scoring four times in the frame to lead 5-2.
Alton refused to give in and made the game interesting by scoring single runs in the seventh and ninth, but the Rats were able to hold on for the 5-4 win to split the two-game set with Alton.
The Mill Rats are now 3-3 in the second half—20-12 overall—and in a tie for second place in the Northeast Division with Champion City.
Alton falls to 1-3 (12-18) and last in the South Division.
The River Dragons will play a double-header against Champion City on Friday while the Mill Rats welcome the Cape Catfish to Sargent’s Stadium at The Point for two games on Friday and Saturday.