By Cort Reynolds
ADA__The Ada High School baseball team lost a 4-0 battle to visiting Spencerville in a Northwest Conference makeup game at War Memorial Park on a warm Tuesday evening, April 16.
The Bulldogs fell to 0-6 overall and 0-2 in the NWC with the defeat. Spencerville improved to 2-6 and 1-2 in the NWC after the win.
The game was scoreless until the third inning. The Bearcats plated three runs in the top of the third to take command.
Spencerville threatened in the fifth on a hit and a stolen base. But Ada junior Kaine Fisher made a nice running catch in center field to retire the side.
Ada sophomore Mason Wibley pitched the first four innings, allowing just two hits and no earned runs. He struck out seven and walked only one.
Brody Rister relieved him and recorded a scoreless fifth. The Bearcats loaded the bases with none out in the top of the sixth. Rister then picked the runner off third base to record a key out.
Fisher hauled in a fly ball for out two, and a Rister strikeout ended the threat with no runs scoring.
Bulldog junior Levi Green was hit by a pitch leading off the Ada sixth. He stole second base, but Bearcat left fielder Nate Wood made a nice sliding catch of a looping liner hit by freshman Andrew Allen to mute the Bulldog momentum.
After a strikeout, Wibley hit a twisting foul pop near the Bearcat dugout that first baseman Chapman hauled in to end the threat.
Spencerville added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to extend the lead to 4-0.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Fisher popped up a bunt along the third base line and easily beat it out.
Rister struck out, but junior Ethan Lawrence drew a walk to keep Ada alive. However, the game then ended on a called third strike.
Ada mustered two hits, while the Bearcats knocked out six hits.
Freshman third baseman Blake Zoladz singled for the other Ada hit.
Rister gave up four hits and one run in three innings of solid relief. He struck out five and walked two.
Ashdon Simindinger hurled all seven innings on 105 pitches to earn the pitching win. He struck out 12 Bulldogs and walked four. He also swiped two bases and scored one run.
Rister, Lawrence, Max Puerto and Wes Mowery each coaxed a walk for Ada.
Carter Layman had two hits, three steals and scored a run for the Bearcats. Gavin Schwartz doubled in a run and singled. Spencerville stole 10 bases and stranded six runners. Ada also left six runners on base.
Bearcat shortstop Evan Osting added a hit, one run, a walk and a steal.
Ada visits heated backyard rival Allen East (4-4, 1-0 NWC) Thursday for their third league games in four days.
SCOREBOARD
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
SVL 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 4 6 0
ADA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
WP-Simindinger LP-Wibley
