Eagles roll past East, 20-0
May 15—TUPPERS PLAINS, Ohio — One egg that these Eagles didn't mind laying.
The Eastern baseball team led 10-0 through two innings and doubled that cushion over the next two frames on Saturday while cruising to a 20-0 mercy-rule victory over visiting Sciotoville East in a Division IV sectional semifinal matchup in Meigs County.
The 11th seeded Eagles (10-14) were more than balanced in the wire-to-wire win as the hosts scored at least once in each of their four innings at the plate while also having nine different players amass a final tally of 16 hits.
The 22nd seeded Tartans (1-21) committed all three errors in the contest and mustered only two hits off of EHS starter Brady Yonker, who struck out eight and allowed three walks over five scoreless innings en route to the winning decision.
Eastern posted a pair of 5-run outbursts in each of the first two frames for a quick double-digit cushion, then the hosts tacked on another nine runs in the third for a whopping 19-run advantage.
The Eagles — after clearing the bench reserves into the lineup — mustered one more run in the fourth as Rylan Weeks singled home Colton Bailey for a 20-0 cushion.
East received a 2-out single from Cameron Justice in the third and and a leadoff single from Zander Cooke in the fifth. The guests stranded four of the 11 runners left on base.
Sean Stobaugh and Jace Bullington paced Eastern with three hits apiece, followed by Yonker, Brayden Smith and Peyton Buckley with two safeties each. Weeks, Bryce Newland, Brady Rockhold and Trey Hill also had a hit apiece for the victors.
Buckley drove in a team-high four RBIs, while Bullington, Stobaugh and Newland each knocked in three RBIs. Smith also scored a team-high four runs.
The Eagles now travel to sixth seeded Huntington Ross on Tuesday for a D-4 sectional final matchup at 5 p.m.
Rebels fall at Portsmouth Clay, 9-4
PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — It was a 5-run outcome in the end, but looks can be really deceiving.
The South Gallia baseball team found itself facing a 4-3 deficit midway through the sixth, but host Portsmouth Clay countered with a 5-spot to complete the sixth frame and ultimately went on to a 9-4 victory in a Division IV sectional semifinal matchup in Scioto County.
The 20th seeded Rebels (2-21) built a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but the 13th seeded Panthers countered with two scores of their own in the second for a 2-all contest.
Clay broke that 2-all tie in the home half of the fifth with a pair of runs for a 4-2 edge, but the guests answered with a run in the top half of the sixth to close to within a single score.
The Panthers followed with their 5-run eruption for a 9-3 advantage, and SGHS added one more score in the seventh before running out of outs in the 5-run outcome.
Clay outhit the Rebels by a 13-7 overall margin and also committed seven of the 11 errors in the contest.
Ean Combs paced SGHS with two hits, followed by Alex Oram, Jahvin Davis, Tristan Saber, Wendel Unroe and Devin Siders with a safety apiece.
Briar Williams scored two runs for the Rebels, while Oram and Saber also crossed home plate once each. Oram, Davis and Combs also knocked in a run apiece.
Porginski led Portsmouth Clay with three hits, followed by Balestra, Zuefle and Holschuh with two safeties each. Balestra and King also paced PCHS with two runs scored apiece.
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Bryan Walters can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2101.
