Sometimes things just go bad, even when they’re not that bad.

Although it doesn’t appear to make sense, Ironton coach Mark Lewis was able to make sense out of the Fighting Tigers 13-2 loss to the Wheelersburg Pirates Tuesday.

Throwing the score aside, Lewis noted that each team struck out 11 times and the game was relatively close for five innings.

He also noted that Ironton had six errors that led to eight unearned runs.

“They scored 13 runs, but our pitching really wasn’t that bad,” Lewis said. “Dennis (Gagai) came in and did a pretty good job. We just didn’t make the plays in the field that we should have and their pitcher did a good job.”

Gagai took over in the second inning when starter Chad Miller suffered a pulled muscle.

Wheelersburg (3-1) got an unearned run in the second inning and scored twice in the fourth inning, one of the runs being unearned.

Another unearned run scored in the fifth inning and it was 4-0,

A walk and an error opened the door for Justin Stegman’s grand slam home run in the sixth inning.

The Pirates capped the nine-run inning on a three-run homer by pitcher Alex Wamsley.

Ironton got its two run in the bottom of the sixth on two-out singles by Troy Allen and Seth Kuehne and both scored when Dustin Preston’s pop fly fell untouched.

Wamsley struck out 11 and walked just one in getting the win.

Ironton plays at Portsmouth Wednesday and hosts Greenup County Thursday.

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Alex Wamsley and Bandon White. Chad Miller, Dennis Gagai (2), T.J. Keith (6) and Dustin Preston. W-Wamsley (11-K, 1-BB). L-Gagai 1-1 (5-K, 2-BB, 4-ER, 8-R, 7-H). SB-Wh: Dustin Cook, Alex Wamsley; Ironton: Chris Rakes. 2B-Wh: Alex Wamsley, Adam Wamsley. HR-Wh: Justin Stegman (GS), Alex Wamsley. SF-Wh: Dustin Cook. Sac-Wh: Dustin Cook. Hitting-Wh: Drew Sampson 2-3, Alex Wamsley 4-5 (3 RBI), Brandon White 1-4, Justin Stegman 1-3 (4 RBI), Calebb Proehl 3-3, Devin

Miller 1-4, Adam Wamsley; Ironton: Chris Rakes 1-3, Troy Allen 1-3, Seth Kuehne 1-2, T.J. Keith 1-3.