By Cort Reynolds
Playing at home, the Ada High School baseball team fell behind early and lost 8-0 to Crestview in a Northwest Conference contest Thursday evening, April 27.
The Bulldog boys fell to 4-11 overall and 0-6 in the NWC with the defeat. Crestview improved to 11-2 and 6-1 in NWC play with the win.
“We made too many mistakes early,” said Ada head coach Toby Smith. “We have to get off to better starts.”
The Knights plated four runs in the first frame to seize command.
Hunter led off the game with a single, and Jones singled him home for a 1-0 lead. Sheets walked and Penix delivered a two-run triple to make it 4-0.
In the top of the second, the Knights plated two more runs. Hunter walked, advanced on two passed balls and scored on a Nate Lichtle RBI. He stole second and came home on a single by Sheets to stretch the lead to 6-0.
Ada senior Spencer Wall reached on an error in the home second. He reached third base but was stranded.
Bulldog starter Roman Snyder settled in and struck out two Knights in the third inning. Lester Amos got on base via an error to lead off the Ada third, but was caught stealing.
Knight hurler Kreischer then struck out the next two Bulldogs.
In the top of the fourth, Jones legged out a triple and scored on a double steal after two walks to make it 7-0.
Levi Green singled and stole second in the Ada fourth but was stranded.
Kreischer struck out the Bulldog side in the fifth frame. Two more whiffs in the home sixth kept Ada scoreless.
Crestview tacked on a final run in the seventh when Hunter singled and scored on an RBI double to center field by Jones.
Ada’s Zach Neiswander drew a two-out walk in the seventh, but reliever Spieth got the final out and finished the shutout by inducing a fly ball to shallow center field.
Green stroked the lone Bulldog hit, and he added a stolen base.
Kreischer gave up just one single over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out 11 and walked one.
Snyder allowed eight hits and six earned runs in four frames to take the loss. Wall hurled the final three innings, giving up five hits and one run. Wall whiffed six and walked two in relief. Snyder struck out three and walked four.
Crestview out-hit Ada, 13-1. Jones pounded out three hits, scored two runs and drove in two more. He hit a double and a triple, and stole two bases.
Penix drove in two runs with two hits and scored a run. Isaac Kline collected two singles.
The Knights left 11 runners on base to four stranded by Ada.
The Bulldogs committed just one error, while the Knights made two miscues.
C’VIEW 420 100 1 - 8 13 2
ADA 000 000 0 – 0 1 1
LOB--CRESTVIEW 11, ADA 4.
E-- Sheets, P. Speith, Dalton Amos.
2B-- Hunter, Jones.
3B-- Penix, Jones.
HBP--P. Speith.
SB-- P.Speith, Kline, Lichtle, Jones (2), Levi Green.
CRESTVIEW IP H R ER BB SO HR
Kreischer 6.67 1 0 0 1 11 0
P.Speith 0.33 0 0 0 1 0 0
ADA
Roman Snyder 4.0 8 7 6 4 3 0
Spencer Wall 3.0 5 1 1 2 6 0
PB--Jacob Sutherly (4)
BB-- Thornell, Sheets (2), Hunter, Penix, Lichtle, Zach Neiswander, Jacob Sutherly.
Ada’s non-league game at Fostoria Tuesday was rained out. The Bulldogs resume league play Monday, May 1 at Leipsic (5-9, 2-5 NWC).
Ada hosts Ft. Jennings in non-league action May 3, then visits Spencerville (1-15, 1-5 NWC) in the league finale May 4.
