Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
PORTSMOUTH — Nothing made sense about Friday’s contest.
Ironton scored four runs, but only had one hit through seven innings. Portsmouth pushed the game into extra innings, but let the Tigers off the hook in the end.
When the dust settled, Ironton had hung on and propelled itself right back into the thick of the OVC title race, knocking off the Trojans by a 7-4 final in eight innings.
“We took a tough loss on Wednesday to Fairland, and we had a huge talk in the outfield about how we needed to start playing as a team. I thought we did that a little better tonight,” Ironton’s Tanner Kleinman said. “It was a slow start with the bats, but guys were cheering one another on and we got hotter as the game went on and finally broke through at the plate.”
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
Out of the gates, it was clear the game was going to be a wild one.
The Tigers (9-3, 8-2 OVC) opened the game with back-to-back walks before taking advantage of a Portsmouth fielding error to go up 1-0.
Following a strikeout and a hit by pitch, Ironton drew a bases-loaded walk and logged another hit by pitch, forcing a pitching change with just an out, extending the lead to 3-0.
Trevin Brooks took the mound, and it was his show from that moment on as he fired back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.
He had one small mishap in the second inning as a fielding error, followed by a walk and two hit batters, plated another run, pushing Ironton’s edge to 4-0.
“We haven’t quite gotten our bats woken up yet, and I think that’s the one thing holding us back a little bit,” Kleinman said. “Our defensive numbers are great. We’re in a lot of one-run games and we’ve been fortunate to come out on the winning side of them. We know at some point they’ll start coming alive and once they do, everybody better look out.”
After Ironton went 1-2-3 in the third, the tide slowly began to turn. Despite strikeouts to open the bottom half, Portsmouth (10-6, 8-2 OVC) managed to work back-to-back walks to keep the inning alive.
Brooks came to the dish and took a 0-1 offering for a ride off the center-field fence for a two-run double, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
PHOTOS: Images from Ironton’s win over Portsmouth
The Trojans added to the board again in the fifth. After a single and a walk, the Tigers committed a fielding error that scored a run to cut their lead to 4-3.
A scoreless sixth brought on the dramatics of the seventh.
Ironton loaded the bases, but Brooks fired a strikeout to keep his Trojans in striking distance. In the bottom half, a single and a hit by pitch put a pair of runners on as Ironton made a pitching change.
“Coming in 4-3 with runners on in the bottom of the seventh with no outs is definitely a tough spot to work out of,” Ironton’s Dawson Philyaw said. “Jacob [Hughes] did such a great job. He’s got an electric fastball and playing behind him is great because you know you have a chance in every game you play with him on the mound and he’s great at what he does.”
An intentional walk to Brooks later loaded the bases, and the Tigers committed a fielding error in the next at-bat to score a runner and tie the game at 4-4, before a strike out sent the game into the eighth.
Following a strikeout to open the frame, Bryson Kerns legged out a triple. Portsmouth decided to bring in a fifth infielder during the next at-bat and it worked, except no play was made on an infield single to put runners on first and third.
That led to an RBI single from Ethan Sutton to break the tie, and the floodgates opened when Hughes notched an RBI groundout, followed by a Kleinman RBI single, to close the door on a Tiger victory.
“We’re just trying to keep passing the bat down to the next guy to hit. If you get the bat, that means the guy in front did his job and the energy just rolls,” Kleinman said. “We’re getting guys in scoring position and making contact at the dish. I finally got one after [Dawson] fouled off like seven in a row. We’re a never-say-die type of team and that’s how we should be for the rest of the year.”
Philyaw earned the win in two innings of work, allowing no hits while adding an RBI at the dish. Jacob Hughes tossed six innings in a no decision effort, allowing five hits, two earned runs and striking out 11 batters. He also added an RBI.
Kleinman finished 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs, while Freeman and Sutton each went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
For Portsmouth, Brooks took the loss in 7 1/3 innings of work, allowing five hits, three earned runs and punching out 12 batters. He was also 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Williams was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Eli Roth added an RBI.
Ironton returned to action on Monday and handed Chesapeake a 10-0 loss. Portsmouth beat Gallia Academy by a 6-1 score to create a three-way tie at the top of the OVC standings — Ironton, Portsmouth and Gallia Academy all have two league losses.
Next up for the Fighting Tigers is a trip to Ashland Blazer (Ky.) on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Portsmouth will pay a visit to South Point that same evening.
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