Late mishaps lead to Indians' loss (04/02/05)

FORT RECOVERY — For six innings the Indians outplayed Russia. Two different Tribe players had more hits than the entire Russia team combined. And they put eight runners in scoring position, compared to just two for Russia.

But, thanks to a couple of goofy plays, it was the visiting Raiders who came out victorious over the Fort Recovery softball team Friday night 2-1 in nine innings.

“You get people on and you try to put the ball in play,” said Russia coach Roger Hammonds. “They made a couple of mistakes and we capitalized. It wasn’t anything we did to win the game.”

FRHS coach Marie Osterholt agreed with that assessment.

“This game we should not have lost,” she said. “We let this one get away.”

The Indians (1-1) scored in the first inning and held a 1-0 lead until Russia’s Katy Luthman led off the top of the seventh with a single to center field. Luthman moved to second on a ground out by Kristen Allen, and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Then came the first odd play of the evening as Tribe pitcher Tiff Gaerke was called for an illegal pitch for switching the ball from one hand to the other without throwing a pitch. The call resulted in Luthman being awarded home plate with the tying run, and batter Amanda Monnin taking first.

Both teams had runners on the eighth inning but couldn’t convert. Kelsie Will saved a run for the Tribe by making a great running catch in left field, and the Indians failed to get Krystal Rammel around after she singled, took second on an error and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Brenda Rindler.

Russia (2-0) put Allen on with a walk against Gaerke to start the ninth inning before Tobe, who pitched the first two innings, returned to the mound. Tobe struck out Monnin, but Allen advanced to third thanks to a stolen base and a ground out by Melissa Lachet.

With two outs the Tribe could have escaped the inning still tied after Lianne Cordonnier grounded the ball back to Tobe. But, instead of tossing to first to end the inning Tobe went home and her throw was well over Rindler’s head allowing Allen to score what would be the winning run.

Russia pitcher Janel Meyer, who went the distance, sat down the Indians in order in the bottom of the ninth to finish the game.

“(It was) just the mental errors, which they can’t have,” said Osterholt. “We go through it every day at practice — every pitch, every hit, what you are supposed to do with the ball.”

Although she gave up 10 hits, Hammonds praised the gutsy effort from Meyer. After allowing a run in the first inning she went nine scoreless frames and notched 12 strikeouts, including four in the final two innings.

She did not allow a walk in the contest while the Indians gave up three.

“We got great pitching,” Hammonds said. “When you get 12 strikeouts, that helps.

“You always need a little luck. We got some tonight.”

The Raiders needed luck as they got just two hits, both from Luthman.

Fort Recovery’s problem wasn’t getting hits, it was putting them together. Two Indians — Krystal Rammel and Brenda Rindler — accounted for seven of the team’s 10 hits

Rammel was a perfect 4-for-4 with the Tribe’s only RBI, and Rindler went 3-for-3. But the team stranded nine runners, six of which were in scoring position.

The only Tribe run came after a two-out single by Evers in the first inning. She stole second and third base and scored on a single to right center by Rammel.

“We didn’t get the timely hits ...,” said Osterholt, especially noting the eighth inning situation in which her team failed to score with Rammel on third and one out. “That’s the run we should’ve had home.”

Tobe took the loss to drop to 1-1 on the year as she allowed one unearned run on one hit. She struck out four and walked one.

Gaerke pitched six-plus innings, also allowing one unearned run on one hit. She had seven strikeouts and two walks.[[In-content Ad]]