PORTSMOUTH – Cause and effect.

Wednesday, August 01, 2001

PORTSMOUTH – Cause and effect. When the strong pitching didn’t continue, Elyria West’s bats came to life and the Ironton All-Stars never recovered in the finals of the state Senior League tournament at Branch Rickey Park Tuesday.

Ironton won three straight in the tournament behind strong pitching and good hitting, including a 10-0 win over Elyria West in the opening game of the tournament as Josh Sands threw a one-hitter.

But Elyria West jumped on Sands early in the first game and went on to win 11-8, then rolled to a 14-3 mercy-rule win in the championship game to claim the state title and a berth in the regionals in Peoria, Ill.

"Our pitching just wasn’t there today, but give Elyria the credit. They hit the ball well all day," Ironton manager Bart Burcham said. "We just didn’t look like the same team that won three straight."

In the first game, Ironton took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Kevin Williams walked, Matt White doubled, and Tyler Whaley and Derek Moore singled.

The lead was short lived as Elyria got five runs in the second as Ryan Ponting and Jeff Lange each doubled.

Ironton got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Sean McClellan walked, Jeff Parnell singled, and Matt White singled.

Five more runs scored in the third to make it 9-3 as Elyria banged out five hits including doubles by Roy Porter and Ponting.

Sands clubbed a three-run homer in the fourth after Jameson McKnight had walked and Williams singled to make it 9-6.

An error and another double by Ponting put the lead at 11-6. Sands lofted a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth and it was a four-run game.

Ironton got a final run in the seventh when Whaley walked, Moore singled, and Adam Ferguson got a sacrifice fly.

The second game started in a similar fashion as Ironton took a 1-0 lead in the first when Sands singled, moved up on a ground out, and scored on Moore’s base hit.

Elyria then scored five times in the third on just two hits. Ironton got a run back in its half of the inning when Williams singled, Whaley reached on an error, and Ben Murphy doubled.

But Elyria put the game away with nine runs on seven hits in the fourth.

Moore had a good day for Ironton as he went 4-for-7. Sands was 3-for-7 with two home runs.

First Game

Elyria 055 001 0 – 11 14 2

Ironton 210 301 1 – 8 11 1

Ryan Ponting and Ricky Betzel. Josh Sands, Jameson McKnight (3) and Matt White, Adam Ferguson (5). W-Ponting. Sands. 2B-Elyria: Ryan Ponting 3, Roy Porter, Jeff Lange; Ironton: Matt White. 3B-Ironton: Matt White. HR-Ironton: Josh Sands 2. Hitting-Elyria: Ryan Ponting 3-5, Ryan Board 2-3, Ricky Betzel 2-4; Ironton: Kevin Williams 1-3, Josh Sands 2-4, Matt White 3-4, Tyler Whaley 1-3, Derek Moore 2-4, Adam Ferguson 1-1, Jeff Parnell 1-3.

Second Game

Elyria 005 92 – 14 14 2

Ironton 101 10 – 5 9 4

Joe Reisz and Ricky Betzel. Kevin Williams, Ben Murphy (4) and Derek Moore. W-Reisz. L-Williams. 2B-Elyria: Willie Wilis, Ryan Ponting 2, Joe Reisz, G.C. Goechenour; Ironton: Ben Murphy, Nick Collins. Hitting: Elyria: Ryan Ponting 4-4, Ricky Betzel 2-3; Ironton: Josh Sands 1-3, Derek Moore 2-3, Ben Murphy 2-3, Jeff Parnell 2-3, Nick Collins 1-3.