Three in the third

FORT RECOVERY — Both the Patriots and Indians have established themselves as strong offensive teams.

The Patriots hadn’t played more than five innings during the first three games of the season, building double-digit leads to enact the mercy rule.

The Tribe has scored 10 or more runs in four of its first eight games, averaging 10.4 runs over that stretch.

But when the two teams clashed, the game was closer to a pitcher’s duel, with the two teams combining for five runs.

A third inning spark provided the Patriots with just the lift they needed to walk away with the victory.

The Jay County High School softball team rode a 3-run third inning to defeat the Fort Recovery Indians 3-2 on Saturday.

In its first three games, Jay County (4-0) has averaged 15.3 runs per game and has scored in 11 of 14 innings. On Saturday, they only managed to scratch runs across in one inning.

“We got some key hits when runners were in scoring position,” said JCHS coach Doug Arbuckle. “That’s what we need to continue to take advantage of. We had some other innings with runners and we didn’t get that big hit with two outs. So that’s just key to put some big runs up on the board when we can.”

On the flip side, the Indians (7-2) kept the game competitive, only allowing Jay County to score in the one frame and only letting two more batters reach base over the final four innings. The 3-run inning — it was the most the Tribe has given up this year, allowing two runs to cross five times — ended up being their downfall.

“We have really focused the last several years on eliminating that one bad inning,” said FRHS coach Carrie Schoen. “Unfortunately today we didn’t do it and that’s when they got their three runs. … The girls continued to be fierce and gritty. They got through that one bad inning and rest and that’s the mindset of an athlete."

The third inning started with Brenna Ruble reaching first base on an infield single and trading places with Jaelynn Lykins on a fielder’s choice. 

Natalie May, a courtesy runner for Lykins, advanced to second on a passed ball. May made it to third base as Jozey Shimp was called safe at first base. Shimp made her way to second off of catcher’s indifference to put two runners in scoring position and only one out.

Mallory Winner didn’t waste the opportunity, sending a single up the middle to plate May and advancing on the throw from Fort Recovery center fielder Emma Will.

Carley Trinidad delivered what would be the deciding blow with a 2-RBI double over Will’s head in centerfield.

“I talked to her, and not her but all of them, about not being out front and overextended,” Arbuckle said. “We’ll go with the pitch and I think that at bat she really did. She stayed on it and hit it where it was pitched and didn’t try to pull the ball.”

With the 3-run lead, Mallory Winner was able to carry Jay County the rest of the way. Winner went the distance in the circle, surrendering six hits while striking out eight batters.

The senior had two innings in which she faced the minimum, including the second where she struck out all three batters, and three more where she only gave up one single.

“I’ve changed my mindset here recently,” Winner said. “I’m telling myself, "As soon as I walk on this field, I’m the best there is. There’s nobody better for this position.’ That’s what I did today on the mound.”

The two times the Indians managed to score came when Jenna Homan led off the inning. In the fourth inning she poked a single through the middle of the infield and reached on an error by Ruble at shortstop in the sixth.

Both times, Ella Schoen followed up with a single to move Homan to second base. In the fourth, Kylie Post grounded into a fielder’s choice and Alexis Grisez scored Homan on a groundout to Winner. In the sixth, Homan and Schoen executed a double steal and advanced to home and third, respectively, on a throwing error by Lykins.

Homan went the distance for FRHS, giving up the three runs on seven hits in the loss. She also struck out seven batters, including four which went down looking.

While they couldn’t muster up the third run to tie the game, the Indians are still feeling good about the way they’ve been playing and will look to learn from the loss.

“I told them, ‘We’re 7-2 and those two losses and our two losses are by one run each to two really good teams in Celina and Jay County,’” Schoen said. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re playing to that level of competition and it’s huge.”