Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

FLATWOODS, Ky. — You might have thought there was a full moon on Wednesday.
A full moon isn’t due until the 17th of the month, but there were some wild happenings as the Ironton Fighting Tigers held on to beat the Russell Red Devils 10-8.
Ironton took a four-run lead early, Russell tied the game, Ironton then went up six runs before Russell battled back again.
Ironton took a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
Jacob Sloan walked, stole second and went to third on a ground out. Brycen Thomas walked and stole second and Ethan Duncan delivered a two-run single.
The lead went to 4-0 in the top of the fourth inning.
Beau Brownstead reached on a two-base error and went to third on another error. Sloan then put down a squeeze bunt to score the run.
Collin Freeman followed with a single, stole second and scored on Thomas’ base hit.
Russell (13-13) rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the inning.
Jacob Funk walked, Ronan Moore singled and they moved up on a wild pitch. Isaac Jenkins singled to drive them home.
John Miller put down a sacrifice and C.J. Bartram had an RBI single. Josh Cox reached on a dropped third strike passed ball and Bartram scored the tying run.
But Ironton took the lead for good with a five-run, two-out rally in the sixth.
Thomas walked, Ethan Duncan doubled and Kyle Howell had an RBI single. Duncan scored on a wild pitch.
Cameron Deere was hit by a pitch and moved up on the wild pitch. Ryan Ashley singled home Howell and Deere scored on an outfield error.
Blake Stuntebeck was safe on an error as Ashley scored.
Russell got a run in the bottom of the inning when Moore singled, Grant Wilburn was safe on an error and Cox hit a sacrifice fly.
Ironton got the run back in the seventh on an RBI single by Thomas after Freeman walked and stole second.
Russell refused to quit and scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh on a three-run homer by Moore after Justin Manning singled and Seth Stone walked and it was 10-8.
Wilburn then walked and Cox singled but Thomas got the next batter to strike out and end the game.
Ironton had nine hits with Thomas 2-3 and two RBI, Duncan 2-5 with a double and two RBI, Howell 2-5 and an RBI, and Ashley 2-3 and an RBI.
Ironton 002 205 1 = 10 9 1
Russell 000 401 3 = 8 7 6
Jacob Sloan, Brycen Thomas (5) and Collin Freeman. Daniel Blanton, Zack Pope (4), Ronan Moore (6) and C.J. Bartram. W-Thomas (IP-2.2, H-4, R-4, ER-3, K-3, BB-3). Sloan (IP-4.1, H-4, R-4, ER-3, K-3, BB-3). L-Pope (IP-2.0, H-2, R-4, ER-3, K-1, BB-2). Blanton (IP-3.2, H-5, R-4, ER-2, K-5, BB-2). Moore (IP-1.1, H-2, R-2, ER-1, K-1, BB-1). Hitting-Ironton: Collin Freeman 1-4, Brycen Thomas 2-3 2-rbi, Ethan Duncan 2-5 2B 2-rbi, Kyle Howell 2-5 rbi, Ryan Ashley 2-3 rbi; Russell: Justin Manning 1-4, Ronan Moore 3-4 HR 3-rbi, Isaac Jenkins 1-4 2-rbi, C.J. Bartram 1-2 rbi, Josh Cox 2-4 rbi.