Fort Recovery falls in 9

FORT RECOVERY — On the day most Major League Baseball teams opened their seasons, the Indians and the Bulldogs played as many innings as the pros.
It took a speedy reserve outfielder to finally end the game.
Fort Recovery gave up a one-out walk to Cole Loughridge in the ninth inning Monday, and the Celina senior eventually scored on a wild pitch. The Tribe went down one-two-three against Riley Luebke in the bottom of the frame to fall 2-1 to the Bulldogs.
“We both had opportunities,” said FRHS coach Jerry Kaup. “We just weren’t able to take advantage of them.
“Both teams made some really nice plays. The kids played hard. It was a good ball game.”
The Indians (2-1) scored their only run in the third inning, Celina pulled even in the fifth and the game remained deadlocked to force extra innings.
Loughridge, who entered the game in the bottom of the sixth as a defensive replacement, stepped to the plate with one out in the top of the ninth and drew a walk. He then got a huge jump off relief pitcher Blake Boughman to steal second base, and later advanced to third when a pitch got away from catcher Shane Pottkotter.
The senior scampered home with what would be the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
“That was flat out manufacturing a run,” said Celina coach Drew Braun. “He walked there, and we’re not a very fast team, but we saw the big leg kick out of their pitcher so we thought we could steal a base on them … He stole second, made a nice bang-bang read to get to third and then scored.
“That’s all Cole Loughridge.
“He did a great job of manufacturing. He got us that run right there. That was all him.”
Boughman bounced back to strike out both Shawn Stachler and Caleb Kuhn to end the inning, but Fort Recovery couldn’t muster any offense in the bottom of the ninth. The Indians, who had put at least one runner on base in each of the first eight innings, went down in order against Luebke with the game on the line.
Luebke tossed five innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory, giving up just two hits. He struck out three batters and walked one for Celina (1-0).
“One thing we have is a veteran pitching staff,” said Braun. “(Luebke) is usually a starting pitcher, but we don’t have him slated to start until Saturday. … He did a nice job. He came in, and he threw strikes. He had nice command of his curve ball. He’s not overpowering with his fastball, but if you can get those off-speed pitchers over it makes that fastball look even faster.”
Fort Recovery grabbed the lead in the third inning when Collin O’Dell reached base on a one-out bloop single to right field, and Elijah Kahlig drove him home with a two-out single to left. The Bulldogs pulled even in the fifth when Damon Smith, who opened the game in the No. 9 slot before giving way to Loughridge, drew a walk, stole second base and scored on a double to left field from Stachler.
Both teams spent much of the rest of the game finding ways out of jams.
Celina starter Cody Vogel started a 1-6-3 triple play in the fifth inning when snagged a Jacob Muhlenkamp bunt attempt just before it hit the grass. The Bulldogs also escaped unscathed after allowing multiple base runners in the first and fourth innings.
“For us, the bunt that turned into a … triple play, that’s a big play,” said Kaup, whose team had runners on first and second and no outs. “If we can get that bunt down, maybe we can stick a run across.”
The Indians cut down a pair of runners at the plate, including one on a perfect relay from right fielder Alex Thien through Pottkotter, then at second base, to Boughman at the plate. Muhlenkamp also snagged a line drive to start a double play in the eighth inning.
Boughman, who gave up a run on two hits and a walk in two innings to take the loss, went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Fort Recovery. O’Dell had a hit and a run.
Despite the defeat, the game was a significant improvement for the Indians against their county rival. They fell 11-1 in five innings to Celina in 2010, 12-0 in five innings in 2011 and 8-0 a year ago.
“It’s a lot of the same kids. They’re older,” said Kaup of his team’s improvement. “A lot of these guys had to play at this level from their freshman and sophomore years, so it was difficult. The game slows down for them, and we’re learning every day. We hope that we’re getting to be a better ball club.”[[In-content Ad]]