By Cort Reynolds
BOTKINS–The visiting Ada High School baseball squad lost an eight-inning heartbreaker to Botkins 3-2 Saturday afternoon.
Ada fell to 3-6 overall with the defeat. Botkins improved to 6-4 with the win.
The Bulldogs led 2-1 after scoring a tie-breaking run in the top of the sixth inning. But Botkins knotted it back up in the home half of the seventh with a run to force extra innings.
The Trojans then scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out.
Botkins took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Brandt Boerger singled, stole second and scored on an error.
Ada tied it with a run in the third. Max Puerto was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored on two passed balls.
Bulldog Lestor Amos was hit by a pitch leading off the sixth. Kaine Fisher sacrificed him to second, and he scored on a clutch two-out single by Levi Green.
In the home seventh, Boerger again singled to start a rally and he scored the tying run on consecutive Ada errors.
In the top of the eighth, Trojan reliever Carson Motter struck out the side.
In the home eighth, Hunter Lenhart led off with a single and stole second base. After a strikeout, Brant Metz hit an infield single. Levi Frey was walked intentionally, and Boerger then coaxed a walk to force in the winning run.
“We just made too many mistakes,” said Ada head coach Toby Smith. “We have to continue to do the fundamentals.”
Senior Jacob Sutherly rapped out three hits in three at bats and stole a base to pace Ada. Senior Roman Snyder collected two singles and stole two bases.
Sophomore Green contributed an RBI single. Soph Kaine Fisher, senior Spencer Wall and Zach Neiswander added singles for Ada.
Puerto and Amos scored the Bulldog runs.
Wall went the distance on the mound, hurling 7 1/3 innings of five-hit baseball. He only allowed one earned run, while striking out eight and walking two in a tough-luck loss.
Trojan starter Brant Metz scattered eight hits and allowed two earned runs in six innings on the hill for Botkins. Carson Motter pitched the final two innings in relief to get the win. He struck out five Bulldog batters in two frames.
Metz also contributed two hits for Botkins. Boerger stroked two hits, scored two runs and drove in the winning run. Hunter Lenhart stole two bases and scored the other Trojan run.
Phil Hall added an RBI for Botkins.
Ada left 10 runners on base compared to seven Trojans stranded.
The Bulldogs out-hit Botkins, 9-5. But Ada made four errors that led to two unearned runs, compared to no miscues by the hosts.
R H E
ADA 001 001 00 -- 2 9 4
BOTKINS 010 000 11 -- 3 5 0
LOB--ADA 10, BOTKINS 7.
E--Spencer Wall, Levi Green, Roman Snyder, Kaine Fisher.
HBP--Levi Green, Roman Snyder, Lestor Amos, Max Puerto (2), Frey, Koenig.
SACB—Kaine Fisher, Hall, Schuller.
SB--Jacob Sutherly, Roman Snyder (2), Max Puerto, Boerger, Lenhart (3).
ADA IP H R ER BB SO HR
Spencer Wall 7.33 5 3 1 2 8 0
BOTKINS
Metz 6.0 8 2 2 1 8 0
Motter 2.0 1 0 0 0 5 0
PB-- Frey (2).
SO--Spencer Wall (2), Zach Neiswander (2),
Levi Sousley (3), Lestor Amos (2), Max Puerto (2), Kaine
Fisher (2), Hall, Motter, Boerger, Schuller, Altherr, Krouskop (2), Metz.
BB--Jacob Sutherly, Boerger, Frey.
Ada hosts league and backyard rival Allen East (3-2, 0-1 NWC) Monday.
