Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

PORTSMOUTH — They say walks will haunt. It must have seemed like Halloween to the Ironton Fighting Tigers.

Ironton pitchers combined to walk 12 batters in a 9-5 Ohio Valley Conference loss to the Portsmouth Trojans on Friday.

“It’s hard to win baseball games when you walk 12 batters and hit another one,” said Ironton coach Larry Goodwin.

Portsmouth took a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Ryan Williams and Zach Kinney both singled, Ty Oliver walked, Zach Delotell hit into a fielder’s choice for a run and Reese Johnson grounded out for an RBI.

The Trojans went up 6-0 in the second.

Vincent Schwamberger was hit by a pitch, Williams singled, Oliver and Delotell walked and Johnson had a two-run single.

The Trojans got two runs in the fourth. Delotell singled, Johnson and Blake Wedebrook walked and Schwamberger singled.

Kinney and Oliver walked and Dylan Mullins singled as Portsmouth went up 7-0 in the fifth.

Ironton (9-1, 5-1) scored a run in the sixth when Larry Morris reached on an error and Kyle Kleinman tripled.

The Fighting Tigers scored four times in the seventh.

Cody Rawlins singled, Bryce Thomas walked, Jake Isaac singled in a run and both Garrett Carrico and Hunter Klaiber had two-run singles.

“We waited too late in the game to start hitting. Our hitters need to be more patient at the plate, especially when they have an advantage count and look for a pitch they can drive instead of swinging at pitches not in their zone,” said Goodwin.

“Portsmouth’s pitcher did a great job getting us to swing at pitches just out of the zone.”

Ironton had nine hits with Isaac going 2-4 with an RBI and Carrico 2-4 with two RBIs.

Ironton was at Ashland, Ky., on Saturday and travels to Gallipolis on Monday to complete a suspended game and play the regular game.

Ironton 000 001 4 = 5 9 0

Portsmouth 240 210 x = 9 9 2

Larry Morris, Chase Rowe (5) and Bryce Thomas. Dylan Mullins and Ty Oliver. W-Mullins (K-3, BB-3, ER-4). L-Morris (IP-4, K-5, BB-10, HBP-1, H-7, R-9, ER-9). Rowe (IP-2, K-2, BB-2, H-2). Hitting-Ironton: Dane Wilson 1-4, Jake Isaac 2-4 rbi, Garrett Carrico 2-4 rbi-2, Hunter Klaiber 1-4 rbi-2, Larry Morris 1-2, Kyle Kleinman 1-3 3B rbi, Cody Rawlins 1-2; PHS: Ryan Williams 2-3, Zach Kinney 1-3, Zach Delotel 1-4 rbi-2, Reese Johnson 1-3 rbi-3, Dylan Mullins 1-3 rbi, Blake Wedebrook 1-2, Vincent Schwamberger 2-2 rbi.