PROCTORVILLE – It wasn’t what the Fairland Dragons got, but what they left behind that bothered Roger Snyder.

Tuesday, April 03, 2001

PROCTORVILLE – It wasn’t what the Fairland Dragons got, but what they left behind that bothered Roger Snyder.

The Fairland head coach knew as his team kept leaving runners that they were in trouble. And so it was as the Chesapeake Panthers posted a 5-4 Ohio Valley Conference win Monday.

"We left 11 people on base and seven at second and third," said Snyder. "I knew early on when we couldn’t get the big hit and they did, we were in trouble. It was just one of those games."

Chesapeake, 1-0 in the OVC, used the pitching of Earnest Bonecutter to get the win. Bonecutter not only left 11 runners stranded, but he struck out nine batters and walked six in going the distance.

Stuart Shepherd took the loss despite allowing only four hits, striking out 11, and walking five.

The game was scoreless until the third inning. In the top of the third, Todd Marcum walked, stole second, and scored on a hit by Joey Macri.

But in the bottom of the inning, Shepherd singled and Chris Hardy homered for a 2-1 lead. Chesapeake tied the game in the fourth when Abe Huff walked, stole second, and scored on a double by Marcum.

The Panthers took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth. Macri reached on an error, Noah Phillips walked, Zeb Best had an RBI single, and Phillips came home on an error.

Fairland got a run back in the bottom of the inning when J. W. Jones doubled and Jarod Schneider singled. Chesapeake scored what proved to be the winning run in the seventh.

Phillips was safe on an error to start the rally, went around to third on a hit by Best, and scored on Bonecutter’s sacrifice fly. But Fairland wouldn’t quit. Morrison tripled and Schneider had a sacrifice fly to make it 5-4. Bonecutter than got the next batter out to end the game.

Best was 2-for-4 to lead the Panthers. Toby Morrison went 2-for-2 for the Dragons. Fairland, 3-1 and 0-1, hosts Ironton St. Joe Wednesday.

ST. JOE 7, COAL GROVE 6

COAL GROVE – The St. Joe Flyers must like working overtime.

For the second time in five games, the Flyers were involved in a nine-inning game Monday and this time they pulled out a 7-6 win over the Coal Grove Hornets.

"We’re doing a good job and playing good team baseball. But we’re young and we need to be more patient atP the plate," Flyers coach Kyle McKnight said. "Rusty pitched well again."

St. Joe got the winning rally going when Danny Stack singled, moved up on a passed ball, and Pat Malone was safe on an error with Stack scoring.

Stack got the win with two innings of work in relief of starter Rusty Yaniko who went the first seven, striking out 11 and walking six. He now had 27 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Josh Keaton started for Coal Grove and fanned four will allowing two walks in six innings. Jarred Keaton took the loss in relief despite six strikeouts.

"Both starting pitchers got themselves out of trouble. Stack and Jarred did what they were supposed to do. Jarred struck out six straight. But give them credit. We both had our chances and they did a better job of taking care of their opportunities," Coal Grove coach John Jones said.

Coal Grove took a 2-0 lead Ryan Brown singled, stole second and third, Andy Dean walked and stole second, and Scott Lewis had a two-run single.

The Flyers came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning.

Stack and Malone singled and Yaniko had a two-run double. Ty Gagai walked, Pat McGinnis singled in a run, and Josh Addis was safe on an error. The Hornets got a run back in the second.

Eric Tackett and Wyatt Adkins walked, a passed ball sent Tackett to third, and a double by Jarred Keaton allowed Tackett to score. Coal Grove tied the game with a run in the fourth.

Josh Keaton singled, Tackett was safe on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and Josh Wheeler had an RBI single.

Both teams got a run in the fifth. Jarrod Keaton singled, stole second, and scored on a hit by Lewis. St. Joe responded as Malone led off the bottom of the inning with a home run.

"That was a big hit by Malone," McKnight said. "And Stack made a heck of a defensive play at short to save a run." The Flyers (2-3) went ahead 6-5 with a run in the sixth.

Josh Addis singled, Chris Carte bunted, and a throwing error into right field allowed Addis to score. Coal Grove then tied the game in the top of the seventh.

Brown singled, stole second, Jarred Keaton, Scott Lawless and Josh Keaton all walked to force in the tying run.

Malone was 3-for-5, Yaniko 2-for-4, and Stack 2-for-5 as St. Joe had 11 hits.

Coal Grove had nine hits with Lewis and Jarred Keaton going 2-for-4 and Brown 2-for-5.

SYMMES VALLEY 8, EAST 4

AID – Now, that’s more like it. The Symmes Valley Vikings used the pitching efforts of Adam Corn and Justin Myers plus the hitting of Josh Robinson and Myers to notch their first win of the season Monday, an 8-4 Southern Ohio Conference win over the Portsmouth East Tartans.

Corn went 4.2, struck out six and walked two. Myers struck out three of the fourth batters he faced to record the save.

"The kids played extremely well. This is by far the best game we’ve played. Adam Corn gave us five good innings and Justin came in an shut the door," Vikings coach Rusty Webb said. "Our defense played well, especially our infield. This is the first game we haven’t had and error. I think some of our kids are starting to get comfortable and we’re starting to hit."

East scored twice in the top of the first, but the Vikings got a run in the first when Joseph Patterson walked, stole second, and raced home on a Billy McCarty single.

East went up 3-1 in the second only to see the Vikings push across three runs in the bottom of the inning. Terry Elswick walked, Kyle Gilmore singled him to third, a wild pitch scored a run, and Robinson unloaded a two-run homer.

The Tartans tied the game in the top of the third only to see the Vikings go ahead for good in the bottom of the inning. Myers was safe on an error, pinch-runner Nathan Pinkerman moved up on a wild pitch, took third on Corn’s sacrifice, and Michael Roth reached on an error as Pinkerman scored.

In the fourth, Patterson and McCarty singled and Myers unloaded a three-run homer to cap the scoring. Myers and McCarty each went 2-for-3

Symmes Valley, 1-4 and 1-0, plays at Ironton St. Joe Tuesday.

SOUTH POINT 12, ROCK HILL 1

PEDRO – You can count the keys to the South Point offense on one hand.

The Pointers Justin Eaches, Shane Holsinger, Jarred Perdue, Jamie Douglas, and Brian Cremeans accounted for 10 of the team’s runs in a 12-1 win over the Rock Hill Redmen Monday as each team began Ohio Valley Conference play.

"We just couldn’t contain their top four or five hitters. They had 10 runs come out of the top four hitters. And Douglas’ grand slam broke it wide open," Redmen coach Barry Litteral said.

South Point (5-1, 1-0) had eight hits with Holsinger going 3-for-4 and Douglas 2-for-4 with a grand slam home run.

Cremeans got the win with three innings of work in the five-inning game. Jeff Crabtree suffered the loss.

"Jeff pitched well for three innings, then they got some bloop hits and some fly balls that dropped in and they all added up to a big inning," said Litteral.

The first big inning was a five-run third.

With one out, Eaches walked, Holsinger singled, Perdue doubled, Douglas and Cremeans singled, and Dick Weaver put down a squeeze bunt. The lead went to 9-0 in the fourth inning.

Eaches walked with one out, Holsinger doubled, Perdue was safe on an error to load the bases, and Douglas hit a grand slam. The Pointers had another one-out rally in the fifth as they scored their final three runs.

Clay walked, Eaches was safe on a fielder’s choice, Holsinger singled in a pair of runs, Perdue was hit by a pitch, and an error scored the final run.

The Redmen got a run in the seventh when Matt Coffee drew a two-out walk, Nathan Litteral singled, and a throwing error allowed Coffee to score.

On Tuesday, Rock Hill plays at Portsmouth and South Point hosts Ironton.