Ironton must have had a few problems with its conversions.

In what seemed more like a football game, the Ironton Fighting Tigers ambushed the Gallipolis Blue Devils 19-2 in five innings Tuesday.

Ironton exploded for 14 runs in the first inning and cruised to its eighth win against five losses.

"Any time you get good pitching and good hitting, good things happen," Ironton coach Mark Lewis said. "I was pleased with our defensive play. We're starting to playing better defense."

The Blue Devils (8-7) took, a 1-0 lead in the first inning with an unearned run.

Matt Mooney was safe on an error, Tyler Clagg beat out a bunt single and Mooney later scored on a passed ball.

Six walks and five wild pitches helped ignite Ironton's big first inning. Patrick Kouns and Kevin Williams had RBI doubles, Nick Collins a run-scoring triple and Dennis Gagai a two-run single.

The lead went to 16-1 in the second inning on a double by Josh Adkins, a single by Gagai and a Collins

double.

The Fighting Tigers added two runs in the third inning and another run in the fourth.

In the third, Ryan Walker, Sands, Kevin Williams and Josh Adkins all walked and then Gagai drilled a two-run single.

The final run in the seventh scored when Austin Thomas walked, Greg Linn singled and Sands and Williams walked.

Gallipolis got its other run in the fifth when Clagg singled and Austin King doubled.

"Gallipolis was coming off a big win over Warren on Monday, so I know they're a better team than we saw today. If you coach this game long enough, you're on both sides of how a game like this

feel," Lewis said.

Williams got the win as he struck out three and did not walk a batter.

Gagai was 3-3 with four RBI, Kouns 2-3 and three RBI, Collins 3-4 and two RBI, Sands 2-2 and Williams 2-3 as Ironton banged out 16 hits.

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Ironton(14)221x-19161

Matt Mooney, Shaphen Robinson (1), Luke Haislop (1), Steve Kenney (4). Kevin Williams, Nick Collins (4) and Dustin Preston, Adam Ferguson (4). W-Williams 2-1 (3-K, 0-W, 0-ER, 3-H). L-Mooney (0-K, 3-W, 4-WP, 4-ER, 1-H).

2B-Gallipolis: Matt Mooney, Austin King; Ironton: Nick Collins 2, Patrick Kouns 2, Dustin Preston, Josh Adkins. 3B-Ironton: Nick Collins. SB-Gallipolis: Matt Mooney, Tyler Clagg; Ironton: Josh Sands, Kevin Williams, Josh Adkins. LOB-Gallipolis 6, Ironton 8. Hitting-Gallipolis: Matt Mooney 1-3, Tyler Clagg 2-3, Austin Kings 2-4, Casey Taylor 1-3, Luke Haislop 1-2; Ironton: Josh Sands 2-2 (rbi), Kevin Williams 2-3 (2 rbi), Josh Adkins 1-2 (rbi), Dennis Gagai 3-3 (4 rbi), Nick Collins 3-4 (2 rbi), Patrick Kouns 2-3 (3 rbi), Dustin Preston 1-2 (rbi), Ryan Walker 1-2, Greg Linn 1-1.