Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

The offense got some help, but not as much as the defense got from Logan Hankins.
The Rock Hill junior right-hander pitched a two-hitter as the Redmen beat the error-plagued Ironton Fighting Tigers 9-3 in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Monday.
Hankins struck out six and walked four in going the distance. The only run he allowed was earned.
Nick Blankenship backed Hankins’ pitching effort by going 4-for-4 with a run batted in and Brayden Friend belted a three-run homer.
Rock Hill (15-5) scored three runs in the first inning on just one hit.
Jake Blagg and Logan Hankins were hit by the pitch, Kaleb Kidd was safe on a dropped fly ball to load the bases and Kadin France hit a sacrifice fly.
Landon Smith walked to re-load the bases and Blankenship singled home a run. Jordan Griffith then reached on an infield error for the third run.
Ironton was guilty of five errors on the day.
The Redmen added a run in the second when Blagg beat out an infield hit, went to second on Seth Nichols’ sacrifice, took third on a ground out and scored on Kidd’s base hit.
Ironton (9-12) got a run back in the third.
Jacob Sloan walked, Brycen Thomas singled to put runners on the corners and Collin Freeman hit a sacrifice fly.
Rock Hill added a pair of unearned runs in the sixth.
Blagg singled with one out and Hankins was hit by a pitch with two outs. Kidd then reached on an error allowing Blagg to score.
The Redmen tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh on Friend’s home run after Blankenship singled and Griffith reached on an error.
Ironton got two runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Will York walked and went to third on Blake Stuntebeck’s base hit. Stuntebeck stole second and York scored on a wild pitch.
Stuntebeck went to third on the wild pitch and scored on Ashton Duncan’s ground out.
Rock Hill 310 002 3 = 6 10 1
Ironton 001 000 2 = 3 2 5
Logan Hankins and Kaleb Kidd. Ryan Ashley, Ashton Duncan (7) and Brycen Thomas. W-Hankins (ER-3, K-6, BB-5. L-Ashley (IP-6.0, H-8, R-6, ER-1, K-4, BB-1). Duncan (IP-1.0, H-2, R-3, ER-2, K-1). Hitting-RH: Jake Blagg 2-3, Seth Nichols 1-3, Kaleb Kidd 1-4 rbi, Kadin France 1-4 2-rbi, Nick Blankenship 4-4 rbi, Brayden Friend 1-4 HR 3-rbi; Ironton: Brycen Thomas 1-2, Blake Stuntebeck 1-1, Collin Freeman rbi, Ashton Duncan rbi.