The Ironton Fighting Tigers needed some pitching help, so they dialed “L” for Lucas.

Playing their fifth game in five days, pitching-thin Ironton made a call to the junior varsity team and Howie Lucas answered with a three-hit shutout Friday of the Gallipolis Blue Devils, 7-0.

Lucas had struck out 19 batters in a reserve game against Gallipolis, so Ironton coach Tobey Schreck decided to see how he could do against the varsity.

“We needed pitching, so we decided to take a look at him since he pitched so well in the jayvee game,” Schreck said. “We taught him to throw a slider and he really had the ball moving.”

Lucas struck out 11 and walked three in going the distance in his first-ever varsity start.

Ironton got the only run it needed in the first inning on an RBI double by Nick Lewis after Chad Miller and T.J. Keith were hit by pitches.

The Fighting Tigers scored three more runs in the third inning.

Byron Brammer and Miller doubled to start the inning and it was 2-0. Miller went to third base on a passed ball and scored when Keith grounded out.

Lewis reached on an error and scored when Jeremy Moore drilled a double.

Ironton scored two more runs in the fourth inning when Brammer walked, Miller reached on an error and Keith lined a two-run single.

In the sixth, Ironton added an insurance run when David Bridges walked, went to second on an error and scored on a hit by Lewis.

Ironton had 7 hits with Lewis going 2-for-4.

The Fighting Tigers (3-5, 2-4) host Portsmouth Monday in a league game.

Gallipolis is now 5-3 and 3-2 in the SEOAL.

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Shawn Thompson and David Rumley. Howie Lucas and Tanner Reed. W-Lucas (11-K, 3-BB). L-Thompson (3-K, 3-BB, 4-ER). 2B-Gallipolis: Cody Noble; Ironton: Chad Miller, Nick Lewis, Jeremy Moore, Byron Brammer. Hitting-Gallipolis: Nick Stevens 1-3, Austin King 1-3, Cody Noble 1-3; Ironton: Chad Miller 1-3, T.J. Keith 1-3, Nick Lewis 2-4, Jeremy Moore 1-4, Tanner Reed 1-3, Byron Brammer 1-2.