Tribe survives close game with Panthers

FORT RECOVERY - The Fort Recovery baseball team won many close games during its recent run to the Division IV state final four.

Less than a week removed from state, Jerry Kaup's ACME bunch found themselves in a close one on Thursday night, and it was another positive outcome for the home-standing Indians.

Mason Will hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning. Kody Shinabery came on in relief in the seventh and shut the door on Parkway to give Fort Recovery a 5-4 victory.

"We love them when we're way ahead too," Kaup joked. "In close games, you've just got to keep playing. Things happen, and you've just got to keep going."

Davis Will gave the Indians a 1-0 lead in the first. He singled to lead off the inning, stole second, took third on a passed ball and eventually scored on a two-out error.

That one run stood until the fifth when the Panthers struck for three runs.

Parkway had stranded seven runners over the first four innings. In the fifth, though, Tristen McKee was hit by a pitch and Alec Schoenleben singled to put runners on the corners for Carson Ford, who drove them home with a double to the right-center gap. Shay Pond later pushed a run across with a fielder's choice to put Parkway in front 3-1.

Three of the first four Fort Recovery batters reached on walks to open the fifth. After a walk and a hit batsmen, the scored was evened at 3-all.

Alec Schoenleben delivered a two-out triple in Parkway's following at-bat. He scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

Parkway recorded two outs in the sixth with a 1-6-3 doubleplay, but an error allowed Shinabery to move to second. Mason Will lined a single to center for what stood as the game-winner.

Fort Recovery reliever Evan Post hit Trace Walls to begin the seventh. A walk to Logan Huff moved Walls into scoring position with no outs. In came Shinabery, who forced a flyout by Pond, struck out Noah Stephenson and enticed Cole Schoenleben into another flyout to clinch the win.

"Kody had thrown a couple of innings the other night in St. Henry. He said 'I feel fine, and I'd really like to pitch.' I thought he did a wonderful job. I thought he did a really good job of throwing the breaking balls, the off-speed stuff and then sneaking that fastball past (Stephenson) for a called third strike. We made a couple plays and that was it."

Alec Schoenleben had three of the five Parkway hits. He was also sharp as the starting pitcher, giving up two hits and striking out nine in four innings. Stephenson suffered the loss.

"We missed opportunities and left runs out there," Parkway coach Brian Schoenleben said. "A couple games ago, we left the bases loaded three times. Tonight it wasn't quite that bad. We're just missing the key hits when we need them.

"To be honest, I'm still happy with the way we're playing the game. I think we're molding together as a team and we're getting there."

Post, who relieved Will in the fourth, earned the win. He went three plus innings before Shinabery entered to earn the save.

"They performed very well for never being in a varsity situation, so to speak," Kaup said. "There were only two players in the field tonight that I think have ever been on the field for the varsity."

Both teams are back in action on Monday. The Indians (2-1) travel to Coldwater and Parkway (2-4) hosts Marion Local.