Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

Mary Beth Burton isn’t the type of player who lets her pitching affect her hitting.
Burton not only pitched five strong innings but led the offense as the Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers beat the Gallipolis Blue Angels 13-4 in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Monday.
Burton went five innings for the win. She struck out eight and walked one. Keegan Moore finished and struck out five of the six outs with no walks.
At the plate, Burton was 5-5 with a double, home run and two runs batted in. Riley Schreck was 3-3 with a double and an RBI, Demi Sands 2-4 and Rowe 2-5 as Ironton (3-0, 1-0) had 15 hits.
“The girls are continuing to hit the ball well. Mary Beth Burton had a great night at the plate going 5-for-5. She cranked a home run in the first inning to get us started,” said Lady Tigers’ coach Missy Fields.
“(Burton) also pitched well tonight. She and Keegan (Moore) combined for 13 strikeouts. We are playing good defense behind our pitchers. Peighton Rowe made several diving plays tonight that kept Gallia from getting extra bases.”
Burton hit a home run leading off the bottom of the first to set the tone.
Rowe singled, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Taiya Hamlet’s base hit. Keegan Moore walked and Sands singled to load the bases. Schreck and Haylee Stevens had back-to-back sacrifice flies and Sands scored on a passed ball.
The lead went to 6-0 in the second when Burton singled, Rowe hit into a fielder’s choice, Hamlet walked, Rowe stole third and scored on a wild pitch.
Gallipolis (0-6, 0-1) got all of its runs in the fifth inning to get within 6-4.
Hunter Copley and Alex Barnes singled and Chasity Adams hit into a fielder’s choice scoring a run. Malerie Stanley then singled home two runs.
Bailie Young was hit by a pitch and Bailey Meadows had an RBI single to cap the rally.
But Ironton answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning.
Sands and Schreck singled and Stevens reached on an error as a run scored.
Kylee Richendollar and Burton had an RBI singles, Rowe singled to load the bases and Hamlet walked to force in a run. Moore hit a sacrifice fly for the fifth run.
The final two runs scored in the sixth.
Schreck doubled, Stevens had a sacrifice bunt and Kiandra Martin hit an RBI single. Burton then doubled home Martin.
Gallipolis 000 040 0 = 4 8 2
Ironton 510 052 x = 13 15 2
Bailey Meadows and Kyla Miller. Mary Beth Burton, Keegan Moore (6) and Demi Sands. W-Burton (IP-5.0, H-6, R-4, ER-3, K-8, BB-1). Moore (IP-2.0, H-2, K-5, BB-0). L-Meadows (ER-9, K-1, BB-4). Hitting-Gallia: Alex Barnes 2-4, Chasity Adams 2-3 rbi, Morgan Stanley 1-4 2-rbi, Bailey Meadows 1-3 2B, Aubrey Unroe 1-3, Hunter Copley 1-3; Ironton: Mary Beth Burton 5-5 2B HR 2-rbi, Peighton Rowe 2-5, Taiya Hamlet 1-2 2-rbi, Keegan Moore rbi, Demi Sands 2-4, Riley Schreck 3-3 2B rbi, Haylee Stevens rbi, Kiandra Martin 1-3 rbi, Kylee Richendollar 1-4 rbi.