By Drew Terhall

Dailyadvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — Here are the scores and stats from the high school baseball from March 25 – 28.

Tri-Village (1-1):

The Patriots started their season off with a loss at Northeaster, IN, 11-1, on March 26. Juniors Lane Bierly, Lucas Howell and Kaeden Lipps all had a hit in the game. Junior Ayman Stephens pitched 3.2 innings and had five strikeouts.

The team turned around and picked up a 23-21 win over Seneca, PA at home on March 27. It was a back and forth game that last nearly three hours. The game was called in the sixth inning because the sun was just about to set.

Head coach Josh Davies said it was great to play in a game that put the team in many different situations. They are a young team that will be looking to improve as the season goes on.

“We have a young team this year. Just putting them in different situations is important. We’re trying to set a baseline to work from and try to grow,” Davies said.

The Patriots scored 10 runs in the first inning. Seneca responded with two runs in the second inning before they went off for 11 runs in the third inning. Now down 13-10 in the bottom of the third inning, the Patriots went right back to work.

They scored nine runs in the third to go up 19-13. From that point on, Tri-Village led the rest of the way.

It wasn’t smooth sailing for them. Seneca scored five more runs in the top of the fourth inning to make it a 19-18 game.

A pair of two-run innings in the fourth and the fifth innings gave the Patriots a cushion to work with.

In the last inning for Seneca to tie or take a lead, they scored three runs all with two outs. Tri-Village didn’t panic as Seneca made their comeback attempt and closed out the game.

Davies said the team did a great job being aggressive on the base pads and giving them a lot of scoring opportunities. It was an encouraging sign to see the team be smart and know what to do in different situations as a base runner.

“We were aggressive on the base pads. They’re starting to look for different signs, knowing what to do in baseball situations. I’m happy from that standpoint, this early with this young of a group,” Davies said.

Lipps finished with four RBI and senior Brock Durst had three RBI. Howell, sophomore Noah Finkbine, freshman Lucas Brown and Beam each drove in a run as well.

The Patriots sent four pitchers to the mound. Last season, a bulk of the team’s innings pitched were from seniors. Davies said they are trying to give different players opportunities to improve and show what they can do on the mound.

They are limiting how long everyone pitches for to get more guys in and to ease some guys into the season.

“We have a couple guys that battled some injuries last year and we’re trying to work them back in. Also, teach the basics to some of these pitchers. Keep their pitch count to a manageable level and continue to grow,” Davies said.

The team combined for nine strikeouts. Sophomore Jaiden Beam ended the game for the Patriots as he pitched the last two innings and had four strikeouts.

After a home game against Southeastern, Tri-Village will head to Tri-County North on April 2 at 5 p.m.

A full game recap can be found on our website, dailyadvocate.com.

Around the county:

Ansonia (0-2, 0-1):

Ansonia lost 6-4 in extra innings at Dixie on March 25. Senior Trevor Hemmerich and freshman Kam Ingle each had two RBI in the game. Hemmerich pitched six innings and had eight strikeouts. Senior Keegen Weiss had two strikeouts in 1.1 innings pitched.

Arcanum (1-1, 1-0):

The Trojans started the season with a road loss at Versailles on March 25. Freshman Lucas Miller had two RBI and sophomore Bryce Kramer drove in a run as well. Freshman Bishop Cartwright pitched 2.2 innings and had three strikeouts. The team bounced back with an 8-4 win at Dixie on March 26. Sophomore Regan Christ had three RBI on three hits with two doubles. Kramer and senior Caleb Burke both had two strikeouts. Sophomore Ethan Kearney drove in a run as well. Christ pitched five innings and had nine strikeouts. Kearney pitched 1.1 innings and had three strikeouts. Junior Cohen Protzman got two strikeouts in 0.2 innings pitched. After games at Ansonia and against Covington, the Trojans will host St. Henry on April 1 and then host Preble Shawnee on April 2. Both games are set for a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Bradford (0-1):

The Railroaders lose on a walk-off hit by Legacy Christian, 6-5. Bradford led 5-4 heading into the final inning. Seniors Tucker Miller and Hudson Hill each had a RBI. Miller had three hits in the game. On the mound, Miller had seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched. After a game at Brookville and after a double header at Houston, the Railroaders will play at National Trail on April 2 for a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Franklin Monroe (0-1):

The Jets lost at Northeastern, 4-1, on the road on March 26. Sophomore Madex Skidmore had a RBI in the game. Junior Chase Stebbins also had a hit in the game. Junior Josh Armstrong pitched six innings and allowed three hits and struck out two batters. After four games between March 28-30, the team won’t play until April 4 at Preble Shawnee at 5 p.m.

Greenville (1-1):

The Green Wave split their two games against Fairborn. They started the season with a 9-8 win at home over the Skyhawks. The team was down 7-0 after two innings before they tied the game up 7-7 in the fourth inning. Senior Trevor Mardin had three RBI in the game. Junior Braeden Wills had two RBI with senior Quentin Garner and freshmen Titus Eberwein and Cole Oswalt each driving in a run as well. Junior Adam Edwards pitched five innings and had four strikeouts. Senior Bryce Blumenstock pitched two innings and had two strikeouts. The team then lost at Fairborn, 9-2, on March 27. Fairborn scored early again with three runs in the first inning and led the rest of the way. Freshman Isaac Kerg had a RBI and two hits in the game. Wills pitched 3.2 innings and had two strikeouts. After a road game at Preble Shawnee, the Green Wave will host three straight games from April 1-3. They will play Butler, Eaton and Stebbins in that order. Each game is set for a 5 p.m start.

Versailles (3-1):

The Tigers won both of their games early in the week. They won 10-4 over Arcanum at home. Sophomore Eli Keiser had four RBI in the game. Senior AJ Griesdorn and junior Chase Monnin each drove in a pair of runs. Junior Ben Subler drove in a run as well. On the mound, Keiser pitched 6.2 innings and had three strikeouts. Versailles then won at Chaminade Julienne, 3-1, on March 26. Seniors Joel Gehret and Gabe White each drove in a run. Griesdorn pitched all seven innings and allowed five hits and struck out nine. The Tigers will play at Miami East next on April 1 at 5 p.m. and then host Russia on April 2 at 5 p.m.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]