Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

PORTSMOUTH — So that’s what they mean by the baseball has eyes.
The baseball seems to have 20-20 vision for Portsmouth Clay as the Panthers beat the St. Joseph Flyers 9-3 in a Southern Ohio Conference game on Wednesday.
“Everything they hit found a hole and (Flyers’ pitcher) Jackson (Rowe) was having trouble locating his pitches and they took advantage of it,” said Flyers’ coach Greg Bryant.
Clay scored all nine of its runs in the first three innings and went on to hand the Flyers their first SOC loss.
Clay jumped in front 5-0 in the first inning and was never headed.
Shaden Malone doubled and Clay Cottle singled. Malone scored on a wild pitch and Cottle went to second and scored when Jaden Jessee singled.
Evan Woods and Carson Porginski singled for a run, Mitchell King had an RBI hit and Porginski scored on a double steal with King.
The Flyers (10-3, 6-1) got a run back in the third when Brady Medinger walked, Jackson Rowe was safe on an error and Blake Stuntebeck had an RBI single.
But Clay answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning and it was 9-1.
King singled, Greg Gleason reached on an error and Malone had a two-out RBI single. Cottle walked to load the bases and Jessee hit a pop up fly ball that fell for a hit as two runs scored. Cottle scored on an outfield error on the play.
St. Joseph scored a run in the fourth when Michael Mahlemeister reached on an error, Elijah Rowe was hit by a pitch and Brady Medinger had an RBI double.
The Flyers final run scored with one out in the seventh.
Rowe was safe on an error, Stuntebeck reached on a dropped third strike and Mahlemister had an RBI single.
Jimmy Mahlmeister was 2-4 as the Flyers had seven hits.
Malone went 3-4 and Jessee 2-3 for Clay.
The two teams meet again on Thursday at St. Joseph.
St. Joseph 001 100 1 = 3 7 3
Ports, Clay 504 000 x = 9 11 4
Jackson Rowe and Michael Mahlmeister. Shaden Malone and King. W-Malone (ER-0, K-8, BB-3, HBP-2). L-Rowe (ER-5, K-3, BB-3, HBP-1). Hitting-SJ: Jimmy Mahlmeister 2-4, Blake Stuntebeck 1-4 RBI, Michael Mahlmeister 1-3 RBI, Elijah Rowe 1-3, Max Weber 1-3, Brady Medinger 1-1 2B RBI; PC: Shaden Malone 3-4 2B RBI, Clay Cottle 1-2, Jaden Jessee 2-3 3-RBI, Evan Woods 1-3, Carson Porginski 1-4 RBI, Mitchell King 2-4 RBI, Drew Zuefle 1-4.