By Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

Adding ginger to your diet is good for your health. Adding “Ginger” to the starting lineup proved to be good for Ironton’s health but bad for the Coal Grove Hornets.

Ian Ginger pitched a 5-inning no-hitter on Monday as Ironton blank the Hornets 10-0 in an Ohio Valley Conference game.

Ginger threw 67 pitches with 45 being strikes. He struck out 7 and walked one for the only Coal Grove baserunner.

Ironton (2-0, 1-0) jumped out quickly to a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Ginger led off with a base hit, Cole Freeman reached on an error, Jon Wylie was hit by a pitch and Trevor Kleinman got an infield hit for the first run.

Hunter Freeman grounded out into a double play as the second run scored.

The lead went to 4-0 in the second inning.

With two outs, Chaydan Kerns lined a triple to right field. Ginger was hit by a pitch and stole second setting up a 2-run single by Cole Freeman.

The Fighting Tigers came back to score again in the third inning.

Brady Moatz, Braydon Baker singled and Connor Kleinman all singled to load the bases.

After Kerns hit a line drive to shortstop for the first out, all 3 runners came around to score on 3 wild pitches.

Ironton set up an early end to the game with 3 more runs in the fourth.

Trevor Kleinman singled, stole second and third and scored on a throwing error.

Moatz was hit by a pitch with one out and Eli Adkins and Connor Kleinman both walked.

Moatz scored on a wild pitch and Kerns reached on an error as a run scored. Ginger was safe on an error as Adkins scored.

With a 10-0 lead, the only drama left was whether or not Ginger could get the final 3 outs without giving up a hit.

Ginger got a ground out but walked the next batter. He struck out the next batter and got the final out when catcher Cole Freeman threw to shortstop Jon Wylie and caught the runner trying to steal.

Ironton had 9 hits with Trevor Kleinman 2-2 and an RBI, Cole Freeman 2-4 and 2 RBI, Kerns 1-3 with a triple and RBI, Ginger 1-3 and an RBI while Moatz, Baker and Connor Kleinman were all 1-2.

Ironton travels to Lewi County, Ky., on Tuesday and host Gallipolis on Wednesday before visiting Chesapeake on Friday.

Coal Grove falls to 2-2 and 0-1 in the OVC.

Coal Grove 000 00 = 0 0 2

Ironton     223 3x = 10 9 0

Landon Davis, Caden Turner (3) and Devin Bloomfield. Ian Ginger and Cole Freeman. W-Ginger (IP-5.0, H0, R-0, K-7, BB-1). L-Davis (IP-2.0, H-7, R-7, ER-6, K-1, BB-1, HBP-3). Turner (IP-2.0, H-2, R-3, ER-1, K-0, BB-2, HBP-1, WP-4). Hitting-CG: None; Ironton: Ian Ginger 1-3 RBI, Cole Freeman 2-4 2-RBI, Trevor Kleinman 2-2 RBI, Brady Moatz 1-2, Braydon Baker 1-2, Connor Kleinman. 1-2, Chaydan Kerns 1-3 3B RBI.