GALION — The weather was slightly above cooperative for the Galion Tigers baseball team to travel to Northmor to face the Golden Knights.
In a game without much offense, the two squads combined for 11 runs with Galion earning the victory, 7-4. With the win, the Tigers improve to 13-8 overall and remain 7-4 in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference Red Division.
Picking up the win for Galion on the mound was Mac Spears. Spears tossed five innings, allowing just two hits and two earned runs while walking three and striking out seven. Spears had a no-hitter headed into the fourth before Northmor’s Mostyn Evans led off the inning with a single, his only hit of the game. Evans would also score the Knights’ first run of the contest. Cameron Payne would relieve Spears to start the sixth and go just 0.1 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while walking a batter. Ryan Talbott would take the hill for the remaining 1.2 innings and pick up the three-run save by allowing just a single hit while striking out one.
Hunter Mariotti was the losing pitcher for Northmor, lasting just 2.1 innings while allowing two hits, including a grand slam by Garrett Kuns in the top of the third inning. In total, Mariotti allowed seven runs (four earned) and walked six Tigers hitters. Sam Eichorn pitched 4.2 innings in relief, walking a batter and fanning two.
Outside of the Kuns grand slam in the third, the only other hit recorded by Galion was a single by Payne in the top of the second. All of the other offensive damage done by the Tigers was thanks in part to fielder’s choice plays and walks.
Talbott got the game started after being hit by a pitch. Talbott proceeded to steal second base and then took third on a fielder’s choice hit by Mitch Dyer. A wild pitch would plate Talbott for the early 1-0 Galion advantage.
Scoring picked back up again in the top of the second when a routine play led to a throwing error, landing Will Donahue at second base. Ryan Utz then laid down what was meant to be a sacrifice bunt before Mariotti overthrew first base, allowing Donahue to score Galion’s second run.
The Tigers would lead off the third inning with the aforementioned single by Payne. A walk to Talbott and Dyer being hit by a pitch loaded the bases for Kuns, who jumped on the first pitch offering from Mariotti that landed on the hill by the football field bleachers. Donahue would score again for Galion to put the visitors up 7-0. The Tigers bats and opportunities disappeared after the third but the early offense would prove to be enough at the end of the game.
Northmor finally got the offense going in the home half of the fourth when Evans’ lead off single got him on base and eventually to home plate after a Conor Becker RBI single. The Knights would tack on another run when Jordan Wiseman came around to home.
The Knights would go silently in the fifth before getting back on the board in the bottom of the sixth. After a flyout by Nate Hall, Wiseman walked. Ryland Thomas would pinch run for Wiseman and eventually score the first run of the inning after a Tyler Kegley RBI single. Austin Wheeler would later drive in Becker with a single. Northmor’s late-inning surge was shut down after pinch hitter Kade Sayre grounded into the inning ending 6-4-3 double play.
Galion will host the Buckeye Valley Barons at Heise Park on Wednesday May 3.
