By JIM WALKER

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

After losing the first meeting to the Portsmouth Notre Dame Titans 5-1, the St. Joseph Flyers decided to emulate the sequel Rocky 2.

Down and unable to land any punches, the Flyers came out swinging in the bottom of the sixth inning to score 3 runs and beat the Titans 4-2 in a Southern Ohio Conference game on Wednesday.

“That was a real gut check moment for our guys and they responded. They just kept battling,” said Flyers’ coach Greg Bryant.

“Their kid (Alex Cassidy) is a good pitcher, but we finally started to hit him. (Blake) Stuntebeck threw a heck of a game. I think they only hit one or two balls hard the whole game.”

Stuntebeck got the complete game win as he scattered 8 hits, struck out 11 and walked 2. Only one run was earned.

Cassidy went 6 innings allowing 6 hits, 4 earned runs, 9 strikeouts and 2 walks.

Trailing 2-1, the Flyers came off the canvas in the bottom of the sixth and began swinging like Rocky against Apollo Creed.

With one out, Elijah Rowe and Stuntebck each singled hard to left field. An error on Stuntebeck’s hit allowed Rowe to score and Stuntebeck to go to second.

Michael Mahlmeister then smoked a double on the first pitch he saw to score Stuntebeck with the go-ahead run. Drew Brown followed with a single on the first pitch driving home courtesy runner Matthew Heighton.

Notre Dame (9-7, 8-3) threatened in the top of the seventh.

Matt Boldman was hit by a pitch leading off. After a pop out, Cassidy singled hard to left field. But Stuntebeck got retired the next batter on a comebacker to the mound and struck out the next batter to end the game.

Notre Dame got an unearned run without the aid of a hit in the first inning to lead 1-0.

Eugene Collins walked, Boldman sacrificed him to second and, after a strikeout, Cassidy reached on an error as the run scored.

The scored remained that way until the fifth when the Titans got a run with 2 outs.

Boldman doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield hit to third base by Dylan Seison.

The Flyers (14-2, 10-2) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning.

Mahlmeister walked, went to second on a wild pitch, courtesy runner Heighton took third on a ground out and scored on a line drive single by Wesley Neal to left field.

Mahlmeister was 1-2 with the double and RBI, Elijah Rowe and Stuntebeck 1-3, and both Brown and Neal were 1-3 with an RBI.

Notre Dame 100 010 0 = 2 5 1

St. Joseph 000 013 x = 4 6 1

Alex Cassidy and Reagan Lester. Blake Stuntebeck and Michael Mahlmeister. W-Stuntebeck (IP-7.0, H-8, R-2, ER-1, K-11, BB-2, HBP-1, WP-2). L-Cassidy (IP-6.0, H-6, R-4, ER-4, K-9, BB-2, WP-1. Hitting-PND: Eugene Collins 1-3, Matt Bodman 1-2 2B, Dylan Seison 1-4 RBI, Alex Cassidy 1-3, Miles Phillips 1-4, Reagan Lester 2-3, Braydon Shepherd 1-2; St.J: Elijah Rowe 1-3, Blake Stuntebeck 1-3, Michael Mahlmeister 1-2 2B RBI, Drew Brown 1-3 RBI, Wesley Neal 1-3 RBI.