Someone check the "Lost & Found" department. The Ironton Fighting Tigers are missing their bats.

Ironton had just five hits and lost its third one-run game as the Wheelersburg Pirates escaped with a 4-3 win Thursday.

"We had our chances. We're just not getting the clutch hit right now," Ironton coach Mark Lewis said. "We executed some plays well, we battled hard, and we got good pitching and defense again. We just need to find our offense."

Matt White (1-2) took his second one-run loss. He struck out six, walked just one and scattered eight hits. White threw just 92 pitches, but 22 came in the first inning when the Pirates scored twice.

"Once Matt got past the first inning, he pitched real well," Lewis said.

A hit batsman and a walk started the first for the Pirates. Jared Madden grounded out as a run scored and Justin Parlin doubled home the second run.

Ironton tied the game in the second. Josh Sands singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, took third on Jeff Parnell's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Greg Mountain's sacrifice fly.

Cody Piquet homered with two outs in the third, and then Madden singled, moved up on an error and scored on Perkins' hit to put the Pirates up 4-1.

Ironton (3-3) got a run back in the sixth.

Kevin Williams and Derek Moore singled to put runners on the corners. White grounded out as Williams scored.

The Fighting Tigers mounted a rally in the seventh but came up short.

With one out, Mountain singled, Chris Collins walked, and Jameson McKnight's sacrifice bunt attempt was thrown away for an error as Mountain scored. An out later, Moore walked but the next batter flied to right field to end the game.

Brandon Russell went the distance to get the win for the Pirates (4-1).

Mountain went 2-3 to lead Ironton which hosts Huntington High at 1 p.m. Saturday.

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Brandon Russell and Brandon White. Matt White and Greg Mountain. W-Russell (6-K, 5-W). L-White 1-2 (6-K, 1-W, 1-HBP). 2B-Wheelersburg: Justin Parlin. HR-Wheelersburg: Cody Piquet. SF-Ironton: Greg Mountain. Sac-Ironton: Jameson McKnight, Jeff Parnell. Hitting-Wheelersburg: Josh Cowgill 1-3, Nathan Timberlake 1-4, Cody Piquet 1-3, Jared Madden 1-3, Justin Parlin 3-3, Chason Perry 1-3; Ironton: Kevin Williams 1-3, Derek Moore 1-3, Josh Sands 1-3, Greg Mountain 2-3.