GALION — On Wednesday afternoon, the Galion Tigers baseball squad returned to their home diamond in Heise Park to play hosts to the visiting Clear Fork Colts.
The day after the Tigers’ late-game rally propelled them to a victory, Galion would see fortunes switch hands as Clear Fork upended the Tigers by a final score of 16-3 in five innings. With the loss, Galion falls to 11-2 on the season and 6-2 in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference and sees their nine-game winning streak come to a halt. For the Colts, they improve to 8-2 on the season, including a 6-2 mark within the conference.
After both teams went in order in the first inning, Clear Fork would find the scoreboard first after Dylan Jewell scored on a Brock Talbott RBI groundout following a lead-off triple. Galion’s defense would hunker down though and the Colts would plate just the lone run in the frame, leaving the bases loaded. In the bottom of the second, the Tigers would get their first baserunner of the day via a walk to Clay Karnes with one out. Karnes would advance to second on a passed ball but would be left there after Brody Symsick struck out looking and John Abouhassan grounded out to Clear Fork third baseman Brandon Patterson.
AJ Blubaugh would lead-off the third with a double, followed by a rare, infield double by Brad Johnson. With runners at second and third, Jewell knocked a grounder to Galion shortstop Troy Manring, who proceeded to throw into catch Gavin Pennington to tag Blubaugh out at home plate. Johnson would score after a single from Talbott and the Colts would lead 2-0 after two and a half innings. The Tigers would go 1,2,3 in the home half to send the game into the fourth, an inning that Galion would soon like to forget.
In that fourth inning for Clear Fork, they would go through their batting order twice en route to piling on 13 runs on 11 hits to put themselves in control at 15-0. Galion would swap out starting pitcher Carter Keinath for Karnes before Karnes gave way to Jackson Staton in the inning as they attempted to find a way to stop the high octane Colts’ offense. Once the Tigers were able to get their defense off of the field, Manring would reach first base thanks to an error by Blubaugh at short. Manring would then advance to second following a walk issued to Cameron Payne and would then move over to third as Keinath recorded Galion’s first hit of the day, a single. Karnes would flyout to Caden Flynn in center which allowed Manring to tag-up and put the Tigers on the board.
Clear Fork would score their final run in the top of the fifth after two singles and a pick-off found Patterson at first. Flynn would double to put runners at second and third for the Colts before Blubaugh grounded out to second to plate Patterson. Down big, Galion stepped to the plate in the fifth and began their inning with a single from Sam Albert following a Pennington strike out. Ryan Utz, the hero for the Tigers on Tuesday, ripped a double off of the wall to put two runners in scoring position for Galion. Manring hit a slow-roller to first and was put-out unassisted by Talbott, scoring Albert. Down to their final out, Cameron Payne ripped a single that scored Utz but Keinath would ground into a 6-4 fielder’s choice to end the game.
Jewell went the distance for the Colts, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) while walking two and striking out two. Keinath was dealt the loss, working 3⅓ innings, giving up eight hits and six runs (two earned) while walking a pair and fanning two.
Other statistics for the Tigers on Wednesday were: 3R, 4H, 4E, 4LOB; Karnes- ⅓ IP, 5H, 7R(3E), BB, RBI; Staton- ⅔ IP, 6H, 3ER, BB, K; Manring- ⅔ IP, R, RBI; Utz- 2B, R; Albert- 1B, R; Payne- 1B, RBI and Keinath- 1B.
Offensive stats for Clear Fork: 16R, 19H, 8LOB; Flynn- 1B, 2B, SB; Blubaugh- 1B, 2B, 2R, 3RBI; Johnson- 2-2B, 3R, RBI; Jewell- 1B, 3B, 3R, 2RBI, SB; Talbott- 2-1B, 2B, 6RBI, 2SB; Jack Harris- R; Mitch Dulin- 1B, R, SB; David Ballinger- 2B, 2RBI; Jaxen Walker- R; Kaleb Hollar- 2-1B, 2R, SB and Patterson- 2-1B, 2B, 3R, 2RBI.
Galion 7, Clear Fork 5
BELLVILLE — The Tigers traveled to The Valley of Bellville on Tuesday to begin their two-game season series with the hosting Clear Fork Colts.
Galion’s offense would be silenced throughout much of the contest but would erupt for seven runs in the top of the seventh en route to a 7-5 victory over their hosts. The win was Galion’s ninth in a row while the loss for Clear Fork was their second consecutive loss in MOAC play.
Clear Fork plated one in the bottom of the first to take the early lead before scoring an additional three runs in the bottom of the fifth. After scoring another run in the bottom of the sixth, the Colts looked to be in control but would falter in the top of the seventh. Utz, Payne, Keinath, Symsick, Albert, Markis Lawson and Manring all came across to touch home in the Galion win, four of those runs thanks to a huge grand slam home run by Utz.
Manring earned the win in the contest, coming on in relief after Payne started and worked the first 4⅔ innings. Manring pitched the next 1⅓ innings, giving up a hit, a run and walking one. Utz earned the save, working the seventh while walking one and striking out one.
Additional stats for Galion: 7R, 4H, 8E, 3LOB; Payne- 6H, 4R, 4BB, 3K, R; Utz- HR, R, 4RBI; Keinath- 1B, R; Symsick- 1B, R; Albert- R; Pennington- 1B, RBI; Lawson- R and Manring- R, RBI.
Dulin started for the Colts, going five innings while allowing just one hit, walked two and fanned six. Ballinger took the loss for Clear Fork following 1⅓ innings of work, allowing two hits and six runs (five earned) while walking three and striking out two.
Additional stats for the Colts: 5R, 7H, E, 12LOB; Jewell- ⅔IP, H, ER, BB, K, HR allowed, R, SB; Flynn- 2B, 2RBI, SB; Blubaugh- 1B, SB; Johnson- 1B, R, SB; Dulin- 1B, SB; Walker- R; Jared Scott- 1B; Clark-R and Patterson- 1B, 2B, R, RBI.
