Indians knock off Bulldogs 8-5

By COLIN FOSTER
cfoster@dailystandard.com

CELINA - Kody Shinabery gave the Fort Recovery baseball team a quality start on the mound.

He had a quality performance in relief, too.

In all, Shinabery threw six innings - shutting down Celina over the first four and later returning to help preserve an 8-5 victory over Celina on Monday at The CAPT Baseball Complex at Montgomery Field.

Monday was the first time this spring that Fort Recovery has been outside, coach Jerry Kaup said. The Indian skipper liked what he saw.

"All in all, it's a good start to the season," Kaup said. "We're happy to get started and get outside."

The Indians gave their starter plenty of run support. The Bulldogs couldn't capitalize on their own chances.

Fort Recovery had a two-run first inning, a three-run second and a three-run fifth.

Riley Post's one-out single got Fort Recovery started in the first. Joe Homan, Ian Homan and Shinabery also had base hits in the inning. Joe Homan and Shinabery each picked up RBIs.

In the second, Celina starting pitcher Ethan Piper walked Ethan Schoen, who later scored on back-to-back wild pitches. Piper also walked Riley Post and Garrett Faller, who scored on a two-run double by Joe Homan.

Piper threw 65 pitches in his two-plus inning stint. Grant Wagner held Fort Recovery scoreless over the third and fourth innings. An error kept Fort Recovery's fifth-inning at-bat alive, and Ryne Post hit a two-run double. Seconds later, Post scored on an outfield error.

"They came out and hit the ball," Celina coach Andy Mikesell said. "I kept trying to tell Ethan that if they're going to earn it, that's fine. But then I think he kind of started to get into his head. Then he started walking some guys. He was leaving the ball up a lot.

"I thought Caden (Highley) came in and pitched well at the end," Mikesell later added. "I thought Grant pitched well. If we play a little more defense behind them we might still be playing."

Shinabery threw just 38 pitches over the first three innings. He didn't allow a hit until Caden Highley's single to start the fourth. The Bulldogs stranded the bases loaded in the inning.

In relief of Shinabery, Riley Post had seven walks and three hit batsmen in one-plus inning, throwing 51 pitches. He started the fifth with four straight walks, the latter to Highley sent home a run. Post got out of the inning without further damage, however, thanks to a 1-2-3 double play and a strikeout.

But Post walked two and hit a batter to open the sixth. Brandon Staugler got an RBI as he was hit by a pitch. A walk to Wagner added another run. Highley and Parker Maurer followed with RBI groundouts to make the score 8-5.

Shinabery returned to the mound to get the final three outs of the sixth and coasted in the seventh. On the day, he allowed just three hits while striking out five and walking four. He only threw 91 pitches over six innings.

"I can't say enough about Kody Shinabery," Kaup said. "He was wonderful to start the game. It's cold out here in the beginning of the season, and we got four good innings from him. We wanted to give another young man a chance, so we brought Riley in. It's early in the year. We don't want to over-pitch him. Riley was struggling. We had to bring Kody back in and he finished strong."

"I was pleased with how we played defense. I was pleased with our approaches at the plate," Kaup added. "We've worked a lot this winter on situational hitting, what can help our team at certain moments. I was pleased with that."

Celina went 3 for 23 at the plate and couldn't take advantage of 11 walks and three hit batsmen, stranding nine baserunners.

"We had the bases loaded or guys in scoring position and we weren't able to find that clutch hit," Highley said. "We've got to be better in clutch opportunities."

Joe Homan went 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs for the Indians. Riley Post finished 2 for 4 and scored twice. Ryne Post had a double and two RBIs.

Reid Harter had two hits for Celina. Maurer added a couple sliding catches in center field.

Fort Recovery visits Lincolnview tonight. Celina visits Marion Local.