Tribe defeats Lancers (03/29/06)

FORT RECOVERY — Scoreless for the first nine innings of the season, the Indians needed some kind of spark. Lincolnview gave it to them.

Fort Recovery cashed in on a hit batsman and two errors in one play for a three-run third inning Tuesday as it topped the Lincolnview Lancers 4-1.

“When you get guys on with less than two outs you can do some stuff as coaches,” said FRHS coach Aaron Vaughn. “When you get behind like we were yesterday it’s hard to put runners in motion or anything. We got to do that tonight.”

The Tribe baseball team was shut out 9-0 in its season opener Monday and went down in order in each of the first two innings against Lincolnview (0-1).

But with one out in the third freshman catcher Toby Metzger was hit by a pitch. After Curt Heitkamp hit a fly ball to center field for out number two, Bobby Rammel ripped a line drive right back at center fielder Thad Smith for what should have been the third out. But Smith misplayed the ball, which rolled all the way to the fence.

Metzger easily scored on the play, and Rammel was sliding into third when the throw from the outfield skipped past third baseman Mike Breese for the second error on the play. Rammel popped up and rushed home to score for a 2-0 Indian advantage.

“We had two errors on that one play,” said Lincolnview coach Roger Salisbury. “It kind of took the air out of our sails a little bit. Overall, not too bad a pitching effort from both our pitchers.”

The Tribe (1-0) added another run — the third unearned tally of the inning against Lancer starter Chris Boyd — after Tony Diller walked and stole second base. Clint Tobe brought the junior third baseman around to the plate with an RBI double to left field.

Metzger got the Indians’ other run-scoring inning started as well with a double to left-center to open the fifth. He advanced to third on a fly out by Heitkamp, and he scored on an RBI single to center by Rammel.

Metzger, also a varsity starter in football and basketball, finished 1-for-2 with a double and two runs.

“Toby, he’s just a good athlete,” said Vaughn. “He’s been doing a good job. At the plate he’s aggressive, and that’s what we want out of him.”

Rammel added a single, a run and an RBI, Diller went 1-for-2 with a run and a stolen base and Tobe notched a double and an RBI.

Tobe tossed his first pitched of the game in the dirt, but bounced back after going to a full count against leadoff hitter Josh Korte. He struck out the side in the first inning and carried a no-hitter two outs into the sixth.

Boyd followed with the only Lancer extra-base hit of the game, an RBI double to left field scoring Korte.

Tobe completed the sixth inning with a strikeout of Thad Smith, giving him eight for the game. Kevin Schoenherr allowed an infield single to lead off the seventh inning, but struck out the next three Lincolnview batters to finish the victory.

“Clint came out and got ahead of guys and got that first out a lot of the innings,” said Vaughn of Tobe, who retired the leadoff hitter in five of his six innings. “That’s what we preach. We preach the ones: Get the first out, win the first inning, get the first run.”

The Lancer pitchers — Boyd and Kory Thatcher — gave up just four hits and one walk while striking out 10, but were hurt by the errors. Three of the four runs scored against Boyd were unearned.

Boyd doubled and drove in a run for the Lancers. Mike Breese had the only other hit, and Korte walked and scored a run.

“We just didn’t hit the ball very well,” said Salisbury. “We hadn’t been outside a whole lot on the field taking some swings and I think that showed tonight. Fort Recovery probably was in the same situation and they made the most of it.”[[In-content Ad]]