Bremen blasts FR (05/02/07)

FORT RECOVERY - There wasn't much fun to be had after the first inning. Or, more accurately, the first half-inning.

The visiting New Bremen Cardinals put up 12 runs on nine hits in their first at bat Tuesday on the way to handing the Fort Recovery Indians a 23-4 defeat in five innings.

New Bremen's first six batters reached base without hitting the ball out of the infield with two infield singles, two hit by pitches, a walk and an error. Stephanie Winner, the No. 7 hitter, finally knocked a single to center field, but a walk and two more infield hits followed.

But, the Cardinals eventually broke out the big bats the second time through the order, getting consecutive singles to left field from Kim Thobe and Elly Cisco before Maria Staton crushed a three-run home run over the left-field fence. They sent 16 batters to the plate in the first inning, added three more runs in the second and scored eight times in the fifth.

Beth May took the loss, giving up 23 runs - 16 earned - on 18 hits and eight walks.

Fort Recovery (3-9) finished with three extra-base hits, two of which came from Heather Schmackers. She finished with a par of doubles and an RBI, and May doubled and scored a run.

Val Fortkamp was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

Staton, the winning pitcher for New Bremen, and Cisco, her catcher, powered the Cardinals with five RBIs apiece. Staton had a triple to go along with her home run, and Cisco finished with three hits.

Sara Rutschilling and Stacy Timmerman each had three hits and three runs. Shelby O'Neill scored three times as a courtesy runner for Cisco, and added an RBI triple and a run in the fifth inning.[[In-content Ad]]