GETTYSBURG – The Mississinawa Valley baseball team had one of those games that you don’t fondly remember Wednesday afternoon as the Blackhawks lost to National Trail 15-2.
The Blazers were able to shut down the Blackhawks’ hitting attack, and the pitching and defense struggled.
MV managed four hits on the game, three off the bat of Devan Rinderle. Rinderle went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run-scoring single and scored in the fourth from the leadoff spot.
Levi Livingston produced the other Blackhawk hit and scored in the fifth inning. Andrew Johns went 0-2, but drove in a run.
Mississinawa head coach Max Guillozet would use a four pitchers on this day. The quartet of Rinderle, Ethan Bowman, Ethan Dirksen and Kyler Guillozet all had their effective moments, but they combined for 10 walks and hit a batter.
The walks and two key errors contributed largely in the Blazers’ six-run outbursts in the second and fourth innings. Seven of the walks, the hit batter and the two that reached by error all would score.
“We just didn’t throw strikes,” Coach Guillozet said. “If you throw strikes and play defense you’ll be in every game.
“We were down seven in our first game and came back to tie it before losing in extra innings, and we beat Miami East, who is usually good team. We had 22 hits in our first two games. We’ll rebound. I’ve got a good group of young men here. We’ll rebound.”
With the loss the Blackhawks are now 1-2 for the season. They will play at Ansonia in a non-league doubleheader beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.
