Defensive lapses cost Ironton
Published 4:39 am Tuesday, April 14, 2009
GALLIPOLIS — Sometimes good pitching isn’t enough.
Despite a solid pitching job by Josh Pancake, four errors were too much to overcome as the Ironton Fighting Tigers lost 6-3 to the Gallipolis Blue Devils on Monday in a Southeastern Ohio Athletic League game.
Pancake gave up five hits, struck out three, walked two and four of the runs were earned.
“Josh pitched well enough to win, we just didn’t make the plays behind him,” said Ironton coach Tobey Schreck.
Ironton took a 1-0 led in the first inning when Tommy Waginger singled, moved up on a passed ball and scored on a hit by Geoff White.
Gallipolis tied the game in the second inning on singles by Ian Dressel, Brett Bowman and Kruise Wandling and an outfield error.
The Fighting Tigers tied the game with a run in the third inning.
Josh Pancake was hit by a pitch, White walked and Keith Wetzel singled.
Ironton went ahead 3-2 in the top of the fifth on walks to Waginger and White and hits by Wetzel and Jonathan Williams.
But the Blue Devils regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Tyler Eastman doubled and Austin Roush singled for a run. Beau Whaley drew a walk and Kyle Dingess had a sacrifice fly.
Gallipolis scored a pair of insurance runs in the sixth.
With one out, Bowman reached on an error and Wandling walked. The runners moved up on stolen bases and Roush had a two-out, two-run single.
Ironton (3-4, 1-2) had six hits but struck out a combined 14 times. Gallipolis pitchers walked a combined eight and hit a batter.
Wetzel was 2-3 for the Fighting Tigers.
Ironton 101 010 0 = 3 6 4
Gallipolis 020 022 x = 6 6 1
Josh Pancake, Johnathon Schweickart (6) and Geoff White. Kruise Wandling, Austin Roush (6) and Terry Smith. W-Wandling (10-K, 5-BB, 3-ER, 6-H). Save-Roush (4-K, 3-BB). L-Pancake (3-K, 2-BB, 5-H, 4-ER). 2B-Gallipolis: Tyler Eastman. Hitting-Ironton: Tommy Waginger 1-3, Geoff White 1-1, Keith Wetzel 2-3, Jonathan Williams 1-3, Johnathon Schweickart 1-3; Gallipolis: Austin Roush 2-4, Ian Dressel 1-3, Brett Bowman 1-2, Kruise Wandling1-2, Tyler Eastman 1-3.