Friday, April 18th, 2025
Working overtime
Fort Recovery scores five in ninth to beat New Bremen
By Dave Stilwell
Photo by Don Speck/The Daily Standard
New Bremen's Caleb Keller (6) reaches out to catch the ball as Fort Recovery's Mason Diller slides into second base during Thursday's MAC baseball game in New Bremen.
NEW BREMEN - After letting a three-run lead slip away in the bottom of the sixth, allowing the game to go into extra innings, Fort Recovery scored five runs in the top of the ninth to post an 8-3 victory at New Bremen Thursday.
The Indians sent 10 batters to the plate in the ninth, scoring five runs on five hits and two walks.
"I'll take that big inning, but it's a little frustrating because we feel like it should have never gotten to that point," Fort Recovery coach Kevin Eyink said. "But the guys kept fighting, we made some plays and got to the big inning."
For the first four innings the game had all the markings of a classic pitcher's duel. New Bremen starter Gavin Quellhorst and Fort Recovery starter Alex Gaerke combined to strikeout 14 and allow just three hits through four innings.
The Indians jumped out to a 1-0 lead early. Reece Wendel was hit by the first pitch of the game. He stole second and scored on a single by Mason Diller.
The Tribe stretched its lead to 3-0 in the fifth. Austin Siegrist led off with a single and scored two outs later on a single by Wendel. After an errant pick-off throw to first, Wendel went to second where he scored on Diller's second RBI-single of the night.
New Bremen got all three runs back in the sixth. Two errors sandwiched around a strikeout got the Cards rolling. After a force out, Gaerke surrendered a walk to load the bases, which ended his evening on the mound.
Photo by Don Speck/The Daily Standard
Fort Recovery's Brodie Hart scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning in the Indians 8-3 extra inning win over New Bremen.
Jacob Foote came on in relief, walking the first batter he faced, forcing in the first run of the inning. Grayson Tinnerman and Owen Bornhorst each followed with run-scoring singles before Foote got out of the inning with a ground out.
"We had a few too many mistakes," Eyink said. "We had a couple too many walks, had some errors, let them sneak back in it, but Jacob Foote came in and did a good job of battling and getting us through the rest of the game."
Jack Sailer replaced Quellhorst on the mound to start the seventh. Neither team threatened until New Bremen's Bennett Tinnerman ripped a one-out double to right-center in the bottom of the eighth. But the potential winning run died in scoring position as Foote got out of the inning with a strikeout and a ground out to first.
The flood gates opened for the Indians with one out in the ninth. After a single and a walk, Keegan Muhlenkamp laced a double down the right field line scoring the go-ahead run.
Foote, Wendel and Diller followed with three consecutive singles. Caden Grisez walked to force in a run and Caden Homan's ground out scored the fifth and final run of the inning.
Foote picked up the win in relief while Sailer suffered the loss. Diller finished the night with three hits and two RBI. Wendel picked up a pair of hits and scored three runs, while Muhlenkamp and Brodie Hart each turned in a two-hit night.
The Indians improved to 7-2 overall and 1-1 in the Midwest Athletic Conference.
"We'd like to clean things up," Eyink said. "It wasn't the prettiest but it's a MAC win, and those aren't easy, so that's all that matters."
The Tribe is scheduled to host South Adams in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
New Bremen (4-5, 0-3) will be back in action today, hosting Jackson Center.
Photo by Don Speck/The Daily Standard
Fort Recovery's Alex Gaerke (44) gets back to first as New Bremen first baseman Austin Heckman waits for the ball.
