Fortunate fifth

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FORT RECOVERY — As two future NCAA Division I pitchers took to the mound, many in attendance thought only one run would be necessary to win.

Junior Cole Niekamp was on the bump for the Tigers, two years away from playing for Ohio State.

Nick Thwaits, a junior who has committed to Kent State, manned the rubber for the Indians.

They shined, giving up a hit here and there but not much damage through four innings. They each had six strikeouts.

Thwaits stranded two runners in the top of the fifth inning.

Niekamp almost didn’t get to the sixth.

Six consecutive hits — all with two outs — during the fifth inning helped the Fort Recovery High School baseball team break a scoreless tie and propel it to a 6-3 victory Thursday over the Versailles Tigers.

“I did not think this was going to end up with the numbers that it ended up with, 6-3,” said Kaup, whose FRHS team — it finished fifth in the Division IV coaches poll released earlier in the day — improved to 9-4 (3-1 Midwest Athletic Conference). Versailles, which is No. 10 in Division III, dropped to 10-4 (1-3 MAC).

“I thought it was going to be one-to-nothing, and it was going to take something special,” Kaup said.

The Indians and Tigers had their chances. Fort Recovery junior Cade Wendel got picked off at third in the home half of the first inning and the Tribe left two other runners stranded. Two innings later, the Indians left another man at third.

Versailles had guys on base in the second, third and fourth innings, but none got further than second base.

Then the game got to the fifth.

The Tigers stranded two runners on base in the top of the frame, and Niekamp got two quick punch outs to start the home half of the inning. He was cruising, recording eight strikeouts, allowing two walks and not a hit since the first inning.

But that’s when Tribe bats woke up.

Wendel hit a opposite-field double to left-center. Ben Homan followed with a single up the middle and advance to second on a throw to the plate, which Wendel beat as he slid head first into home ahead of Kyle Subler’s tag. Wendel jumped to his feet and pumped his fist at the breakthrough.

But the hits, and runs, kept coming for the Indians.

Thwaits ripped a hard grounder to Will Eversole at third base, and he wasn’t able to apply a tag to Wendel as he ran to third.

Will Homan smacked a two-run single to make it 3-0 Fort Recovery. Reese Rogers fought off a 2-2 pitch from Niekamp, going opposite field to left for an RBI single. Indians lead 4-0. Ethan Schoen followed suit with an RBI single on a 2-2 pitch.

So much for the idea of a one-run ball game.

“It was a really tight game,” said Thwaits, who added an RBI single in the sixth inning. “We were struggling. We had opportunities throughout the game but we were finally able to push through.

“We had a bunch of big hits with two outs.”

Kaup was able to let out a big sigh, taking the blame for Wendel getting picked off in the first inning.

“For me, it made me feel a little bit relieved because in the first inning we had some opportunities and I probably didn’t make some of the right calls,” he said. “I let that opportunity kind of slide away.”

“When the team came through with all of those two-out hits in that fifth inning, that was a major, pleasing thing for me.”

Just as Niekamp did, Thwaits had his demons too in the next half inning.

Kurtis Rutschilling reached on an error before Austin Knapke hit a liner down the right-field line. Noah Richard followed with an RBI double to the gap in right center. Niekamp reached on a bloop single in front of the mound, and the ball went out of play on a Thwaits throw to first allowing Richard to score.

Just like that, Versailles trailed 5-3.

Thwaits shook off the damage to record three consecutive strikeouts to finish with 10.

“Nick of course had been really, really on top of his game through those first five innings, so why would we assume he was going to be anything but?” Kaup said.

Thwaits, who hit 90 on the radar gun, allowed three unearned runs on seven hits and didn’t issue a walk in six innings. Micaiah Cox pitched the seventh, walked the first two batters he faced, recorded consecutive strikeouts and got Richard to pop out to Davis Will in left field for the save.

“(Thwaits) was terrific tonight, but they got a couple good swings on him there,” Kaup said. “We made an error, gave them a free base and the next thing you know they added a couple runs.”

One inning aside, Niekamp was sharp too. He allowed five earned runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out seven.