Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Coming into Tuesday’s conference meeting with Chillicothe, it was no secret that Miami Trace had gotten off to a rough start this season.
But on a rain-soaked night, the Panthers’ performance was exactly what the doctor ordered to heal the rare slump.
Behind late-game, timely hitting and a dominant pitching performance from southpaw Gaige Stuckey, the Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak and defeated the Cavaliers by an 8-1 final.
“It’s been a long time since I remember us losing three games in a row, and the baseball Gods just weren’t on our side in the opening week of the season,” Miami Trace coach Rob Smith said. “I’m proud of our kids for how we battled after a tough week and withstanding the weather as well. We started the game out the way we needed to, played a near-clean baseball game and closed it out in the end with a win.”
While the Panthers provided plenty of run support, it was Stuckey’s left arm that stole the show.
He was nearly untouchable, blazing his fastball by hitters and keeping them honest with off-speed offerings. His dominance was too much for the Cavaliers to overcome as he earned the win in 6 2/3 innings of work, allowing just four hits and striking out nine.
“My team gave me early run support, and it’s like playing with a pillow at that point. There’s some room to work and settle in, but it’s also early so you can’t let too much slide,” Stuckey said. “After we went through the line up the first time, that was when I knew I could throw my breaking ball a little bit more since they hadn’t seen it much. It was really the pitch I had working the best.”
Miami Trace didn’t waste its chance with its opening at-bat.
With runners on second and third, Evan Colegrove blooped an RBI single into shallow left field to put MT on the board.
During the next at-bat, a wild pitch plated another run before Cooper Enochs ripped an RBI triple into right field, extending the lead to 3-0.
From that point on, all eyes were on Stuckey and the Panther defense as the outs continued to rack up. Not to be outdone, though, Chillicothe’s Trent Wade settled in after a rough start and dueled with the southpaw.
For the next three and a half innings, neither team cracked the scoreboard as both pitchers found a groove.
The Cavaliers attempted to gain some momentum in the sixth. With two runners on, Wade notched an RBI single through the right side, cutting the lead to 3-1.
However, Miami Trace was about to shut the door for good.
With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, the Panthers drew a walk to score before — just two batters later — Brady Armstrong delivered a bases-clearing double that effectively put the game on ice with a 7-1 lead.
Armstrong scored on an RBI double from Enochs that capped the final and sealed a victory for the Panthers.
“Coach is always on third base and telling us to shorten up our swing,” Armstrong said. “It was a high fastball coming at me, so I took a shorter approach and was able to take it to deep left field. I was hitless heading into that at-bat, but every at-bat is a chance to do something new so I went up with confidence and hit the ball.”
Colegrove finished the night 3-for-4 with an RBI while Armstrong went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Enochs was 2-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBIs.
Wade took the loss in six innings of work for the Cavaliers, striking out four batters. He also went 1-for-3 at the dish with an RBI.
“The middle of our lineup hit the ball really well, and that’s a huge part of the game. We’ve moved some kids around the order since a couple of our losses have been with little production in the middle of the order,” Smith said. “Those guys really came through for us and we needed every hit.”
WEDNESDAY: Miami Trace 6, Chillicothe 4
The Panthers (4-4, 2-0 FAC) continued their winning ways on Wednesday, taking the second game of the week’s twin bill with Chillicothe by a 6-4 final.
Armstrong got the job done on the bump, earning the win in five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits and whiffing eight hitters. He was also 1-for-3 at the dish with two RBIs, helping his own cause.
Stuckey also helped out, going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, Colegrove was 2-for-3 with a run and a pair of RBIs, and Jameson Hyer finished 2-for-2 with a walk.
The Cavaliers, now 3-6 overall and 2-2 in the FAC, will look to get back on track at Lancaster, Thursday evening. Meanwhile, Miami Trace is back in action on Friday, hosting North Adams in non-league action.
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