GALION — The Galion Tigers got the 2021 prep baseball season started off the right way on the home diamond with a sweep of Lexington. Galion won the first contest 12-2 and followed it up with an 8-2 victory on Saturday at Heise Park.
Galion took advantage of strong pitching in the first game from senior Carter Keinath. Keinath went just over five innings and gave up only two runs. He recorded a run batted in as well.
“Carter pitched well. We have a couple guys who are our fastball and change-up guys and then our curveball guys. Each time out it’s about the scouting report,” said Tigers skipper Neil Schaffner.
Keinath, with help from his defense, escaped multiple jams of two or more runners on base without giving up a single run.
“I thought they handled the game pretty well and handled their offensive threats well, our guys brought it in and figured it out when it got tough.” Schaffner said.
Schaffner was happy with the mental toughness his team showed to open the season, getting out of tough situations.
“We got challenged and we didn’t fold. The guys kept momentum and composure,” he noted.
Offensively, the Tigers were aggressive on the base paths as well as at the plate.
Brody Symsick had multiple RBIs and was solid at the plate. Wilson Frankhouse provided a nice lead-off jump for the team and was a force behind the plate.
“I feel like right now one through nine is a threat for us,” Schaffner said.
Troy Manring and Hudson Miller recorded singles as well.
After the pair of wins, Schaffner pointed out he has a lot of respect for Lexington coach Kevin Morrow.
“He’s a smart guy and he knows baseball. There were a few times he knew what we were doing. They have a good program,” Schaffner said.
Galion has a tough week ahead with six games on the schedule. The week kicks off with a home against Mohawk on Monday. The Tigers open Mid Ohio Athletic Conference play with back-to-back games against River Valley on Tuesday in Caledonia and on Wednesday at Heise Park.
“River Valley has always been good at the plate in the past. We’re going to have to be ready to play some defense,” Schaffner said.
The Tigers make a short trip on Thursday to face local rival Northmor and then round out the week with a doubleheader on Saturday at Fostoria.
