By Cort Reynolds
Playing at home, the Ada High School baseball squad shut out North Baltimore 10-0 in a non-league game on a sunny but cool Tuesday evening, April 18, at the War Memorial Park diamond.
“The kids played well,” said Ada head coach Toby Smith. “We pitched solid, got timely hitting and played solid defense.”
The Bulldogs improved to 4-6 overall with the run-rule win. NB dropped to 2-6 with the defeat.
Ada senior hurler Roman Snyder pitched a five-inning shutout to earn the win.
The Bulldogs broke open a scoreless game with three runs in the home half of the third inning.
Two runs scampered in when Max Puerto’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away by the defense. Levi Green then bounced a grounder to third base that was booted, allowing Puerto to score.
In the Tiger fourth, Snyder pitched around a two-out single and an error with a pair of strikeouts to preserve the shutout.
CONTINUES
In the bottom of the fourth, Dalton Amos was robbed of a leadoff hit by a diving catch in left field.
After Lester Amos was hit by a pitch, Kaine Fisher sacrifice bunted him to second. But the inning ended on a fly-out to shallow right field.
In the NB fifth, a leadoff walk was erased when catcher Jacob Sutherly gunned down the runner trying to steal second. After a single to left, Snyder recorded the last two outs on a foul-out to third baseman Lester Amos, followed by a strikeout.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ada exploded for seven runs to finish the contest early via the 10-run rule.
Puerto led off by hustling out a grounder when the first baseman was narrowly pulled off the bag on the throw from shortstop. Sutherly then yanked a sharp single down the right field line.
Puerto ran home on a wild pitch and barely beat the toss from the catcher with a headfirst slide. When the dirt cleared, Ada held a 4-0 lead.
Green walked and Snyder was hit by a pitch. Spencer Wall then stroked a bases-loaded single up the middle to plate two more runs.
Dalton Amos grounded out to second to drive in another run to go up by seven. Levi Sousley sliced an RBI single to right field to make it an 8-0 bulge.
Ada batted around as Puerto’s grounder to third base was again misplayed to help Ada stretch its lead to 9-0.
Lefty-hitting Sutherly then pulled a hard-hit double down the line past a diving first baseman and into the right field corner to end the game.
123 456 7 R
NB 000 00x x 0
Ada 003 07x x 10
WP-Snyder
2B-Sutherly (A)
Ada (0-3 NWC) hosts local rival Allen East (3-3, 0-1 NWC) Wednesday evening in a makeup Northwest Conference game.
The Bulldogs then visit NWC foe Delphos Jefferson (3-7, 2-1 NWC) Thursday.
