Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
MASON — Just getting to the regional stage is a huge accomplishment.
Ironton (19-3) hadn’t been in a Sweet 16 since before any of its current players were born. Now, the program is one win from punching its ticket to Akron.
The Fighting Tigers struck early, had a counter for every Fairfield Cincinnati Christian attack, and turned on the burners in a massive fifth inning to earn an 11-5 victory over the Cougars in a Division V regional semifinal.
“This group, when they relax, they can go out there and put runs on the board at any time,” Ironton coach John Hunt said. “It’s just a matter of them believing in themselves that they can do it. And they can. We’ve got three good senior leaders that come out here and keep the guys on track. They’ve busted their butts all year and they’ve come to the practice fields ready to bust their butts. It takes good leadership to run your squad and they’ve done a tremendous job of that.”
CREDIT: Erica Fike/SOSA
Early back-and-forth
After sitting down the Cougars (19-11) in order to open the game, Ironton went on the attack. Following a walk and a single from Tyler Roach, Jacob Hughes stepped up and delivered an RBI double into right field, making it 1-0.
“My approach was just to make contact, find some grass and drive the run in,” Hughes said. “If there’s no one on base, then figure out how to get on base, and start something for my team.”
FCC got on the board in the top of the third when Peter Marsh roped an RBI single into right field to tie the game. He later stole second and third before scoring on a throwing error to put his team up 2-1.
However, the Tigers had a response.
With two runners on base, thanks to a walk and a single, Ginger stepped back up to the dish and smoked a two-run triple off the left field wall to give his team the lead at 3-2.
“The first at-bat, he was throwing me a lot of inside fastballs and trying to blow the ball by me,” Ginger said. “I figured he’d switch up, so I went in thinking curveball and that’s exactly what he threw me on the first pitch. I saw it coming and I got every piece of that ball. That got the mindset going that we were going to win the game.”
He went on to score during the next at-bat when Hughes legged out an RBI single to extend the lead. FCC got one back in the top of the fifth from a Nick Birch sacrifice fly, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 4-3.
Then the bottom of the fifth came and that’s where Ironton turned on the jets.
Overdrive
Ironton placed two runners on with a hit by pitch and a single, paving the way for Ginger to rope an RBI single into left field for a 5-3 score.
With the bases now loaded after Hughes’ third hit of the day, things got ugly.
Braydon Baker and Tanner Klienman notched back-to-back RBI singles, Carson Freeman added an RBI groundout to the mix, and Bryson Kerns smacked a two-run double, capping a six-run inning and extending the lead to 10-3.
“It was a 4-3 game, and we didn’t want to be the team that goes home,” Baker said. “22 years is too long to not be on this stage and we want to make it to state. We were seeing beach balls during that fifth inning. No matter if it was a fastball or breaking ball, we just destroyed anything that was in the zone.”
Klienman added a sacrifice fly in the sixth for Ironton while Kael Starks had a two-run double in the seventh to end the night and send the Tigers into the Elite 8.
“It’s a huge blessing to be here. I personally feel we deserved it because of all the work we have done to make this season what it is,” Ginger said. “From being in the cages three days a week, hitting in September, getting in the weight room and just grinding. We knew we had a special team and we’re living in the moment.”
Stat book
Baker earned the win on the mound, tossing five innings, allowing just three hits and three earned runs while striking out four batters. He was also 2-for-4 at the dish with an RBI.
Hughes was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Ginger went 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs, Kerns finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs, and Klieman was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Up next
Ironton returns to action in a Division V regional final against St. Paris Graham, who defeated Miami Valley Academy 7-0.
That game will happen at 5 p.m., Wednesday back at Mason High School.
“The bus ride up here, whew, it wore us out,” Hunt said. “They did a really good job of getting in, getting refocused and getting ready to go to play a ballgame. So now that the trip is out of the way, tomorrow should be a whole lot easier. We don’t have to worry about getting stiff, sitting on a bus. I think we’ll be in a better frame of mind when we get here than we were today.”
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