By Mark Carpenter-
This time of the spring seems to be a very busy time for baseball and softball squads and that was no exception earlier this week for Coach Joe Kramer and his West Union Dragons varsity baseball squad. The Dragon nine was on the diamond for three consecutive days and came out of it rather well, winning Southern Hills Athletic Conference games on Monday and Tuesday, before dropping a non-conference decision to Portsmouth Clay on Wednesday, leaving the Dragons with a record of 3-4 at press time
On Monday, the Dragons hosted the Ripley Blue Jays and it was “no mas” from the beginning for the guests as the West Union bats pounded out 19 hits and scored 12 runs in the fourth inning on their way to a 20-0 run rule rout. On the mound, the Dragons got an outstanding performance from southpaw Dylan Grooms, who pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out nine Ripley hitters in his five innings of work.
West Union wasted no time on Monday, scoring four times in their first at-bat, then adding one in the second, three in the third, and put the game away with the huge 12-spot in the bottom of the fourth.
The Dragons offense got three hits each from Alex Hirsch, Brandan Cornell, Zane Kingsolver, and Brycen Staten, plus two knocks from Ryan Rothwell, Clayton Madden, and Wesley Adams. On the hill, Grooms mowed through the Blue Jay lineup, allowing just two hits in his complete game effort.
Tuesday’s game at WUHS was a “good ol’ good one” as Marty Brennaman might say as the Dragons hosted the Eastern Brown Warriors in what turned out to be a pitcher’s duel between Dragon ace Brandan Cornell and the Warriors’ Michael Schmid. Cornell went six innings for the win, fanning eight hitters and allowing just one earned run. Schmid took a tough loss, tossing six frames and allowing just two earned runs.
Eastern got to Cornell for a single run in the top of the first and there the score remained until the Dragons came to the plate in the bottom half of the third. Hirsch led off with a single and came around to score when Rothwell laced a two-bagger to left field. Grooms was hit by a pitch and later in the inning bit her and Rothwell raced across on a base hit by Alex Pollard that made it 3-1 West Union, all of the game’s runs being scored in two half innings.
Cornell’s last inning was the sixth and the Warriors threatened with two base runners, both reaching on errors, but the Dragon righty got the third out on a fly ball to Rothwell in center to stifle the threat. Hirsch came on in relief in the top of the seventh and the first two Eastern hitters reached safely, one on an error and one on a base hit. Hirsch induced a comebacker out of the next hitter, which he turned into a force out at third and then another ground ball to short ended up in another fielder’s choice for the second out. The final Eastern hitter of the day went down swinging, Hirsch had a save, and the Dragons had escaped with the important 3-1 conference win, improving them to 3-1 in the SHAC.
On Wednesday, the Dragons hosted the Portsmouth Clay Panthers in non-conference play and the day belonged to Clay as the visitors broke open a close game with an eight-run seventh inning on their way to a 15-4 victory.
Clay roughed up four West Union pitchers for 11 hits and drew eight walks, and they took advantage of five fielding miscues by the Dragons as the home team dropped to 3-4 on the spring.
The Dragons were scheduled to be back in SHAC action on Thursday, April 4 with their fourth home game of the week, this time entertaining county rival Peebles before getting a day off on Friday and then traveling to Felicity on Saturday for an 11 a.m. doubleheader.
Eastern Brown
100 000 0 —1
West Union
003 000 x —3
E. Brown Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Schmid 4-1-1-0, Wiles 3-0-1-0, Battson 3-0-0-0, Vaughn 4-0-1-0, Vargas 3-0-2-0, Kelly 1-0-0-1, Newman 3-0-0-0, Fisher 1-0-0-0, Tracy 4-0-0-0, Gallant 3-0-2-0, Team 29-1-7-1.
W. Union Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Hirsch 4-1-3-0, Rothwell 3-1-2-1, Cornell 2-0-0-0, Grooms 3-1-0-0, Kingsolver 2-0-0-0, Pollard 3-0-1-2, Staten 2-0-0-0, Whaley 2-0-0-0, Adams 1-0-0-0, Madden 3-0-1-0, Team 25-3-7-3.
Extra-Base Hits: Hirsch 2B, Rothwell 2B (2)
E. Brown Pitching:
Schmid (L) 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 86 pitches
W. Union Pitching:
Cornell (W) 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 8 K, 122 pitches
Hirsch (S) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 12 pitches
