Ironmen can't hold six run lead, lose late to Paints 11-9
June 5, 2012 - Prospect League (Prospect)
Lorain County Ironmen News Release
Yesterday's day off seemed well timed for an Ironmen team that was struggling at the plate. In the first game of a two-game road series tonight against the Paints, Lorain County lashed out 14 hits and scored nine times, but it wasn't enough to hold off a Paints offense that is clicking on all cylinders.
Anthony Naso took the mound for his second start of the season and struggled right from start. The turf field was watered down by light rain about an hour before the game, making the pitchers mound slick. As part of a 27-pitch first inning, Naso walked three and hit a batter and the Paints took a 1-0 lead without collecting a hit.
After two lights-out innings from Paints' pitcher Keenan White, Kairee Tekra led off the third inning with a single to left field. After Jon Koepf flew out, Sam Alvis singled to left-center field and Nolan Neuschaefer was hit by a pitch. Chillicothe skipper Greg Cypret went to the mound to calm down the tall, right-hander from the College of Wooster.
Whatever Cypret said had no effect on Cody Koch.
On the first pitch of Koch's at bat, White left a fastball right over the middle of the plate. Koch put his best swing on it and drove it well over the center field wall for a grand slam - his first round-tripper of the year.
Nolan Neuschaefer tripled home two additional runs in the fourth inning and Lorain County led 6-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, Naso allowed his only hit of the night - Vinnie Booker's swinging bunt up the third base line. Nate Antone bare-handed the ball and he threw it into the seats over Koch's head at first base. Kevin Zak later grounded into a force out, scoring Booker and cutting the Ironmen lead to 6-2.
Lorain County tacked on two more in the top of the fifth inning when Koepf drilled a ball back up the middle for a 2-RBI single.
Naso threw 95 pitches through the first five innings and he did not come out for the 6th. He allowed two earned runs on one hit. But he labored all night long, walking seven, hitting two batters and striking out four.
The Paints quinckly jumped on Anthony Labondano in the sixth. Three of the first four batters reached base without scoring a hit, loading the bases with one out. After a wild pitch allowed everyone to move up 90 feet, right fielder Aaron Hopper crushed an opposite field home run that cut Lorain County's lead to 8-6. It was Hopper's first game with Chillicothe this summer, after winning the NCAA Division III National Championship with Marietta College last week for the second straight year. The First Team All-Mideast Region outfielder belted the Paints' fifth home run over the last two games.
Dan Poskocil came out to finish the sixth inning and struck out third baseman Matt Fisher on three pitches.
Jake Neuschaefer led off the top of the seventh with a walk and came around to score on a Zak error at shortstop, extending Lorain County's lead to 9-6.
But Chillicothe sent 11 men to the plate in the home half of the seventh. With two outs and the bases loaded in a 9-8 ball game, Sam Alvis came in to face Dan Zuchowski. Alvis worked his way ahead in the count, but his 1-2 fastball was blooped into left field and two runs came around to score. The broken bat single gave Chillicothe a 10-9 lead. On a chopper between the mound and second base by Jared Kujawa, the Paints took an 11-9 lead.
Despite a two-out single by Alvis in the ninth, the Ironmen had no offense left on the night and dropped their fourth consecutive game.
"It was good to see us swing the bats better tonight," said head coach Joe Rhomberg. "We needed a big day offensively to gain some momentum back. It's too bad we didn't pitch well enough to win tonight, but tomorrow is a new day."
The Ironmen walked 11 batters and hit an additional four. Oddly enough, Aaron Hopper's 3-run homer that made it an 8-6 contest was only the second hit of the game. While the Ironmen bullpen struggled, Zach Wolfe, Ryan Black (W, 1-1) and Chris Thomas (S, 1) didn't allow an earned run in 4.1 innings.
Over the weekend, the 7-8-9 spots in the lineup struggled to be productive for Lorain County. Against the Miners, hitters at the bottom of the order combined to go 0-22 with one walk, nine strikeouts and seven groundouts. Tonight however, Jake Neuschaefer, Kairee Tekra and Jon Koepf collectively went 5-12 with two walks, five runs scored, a steal, a sacrifice bunt and only one strikeout.
Mattias Dedoes will pitch against Brandon Sega to try and salvage the series tomorrow night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.
Prospect League Stories from June 5, 2012
- Former Ironmen pitcher gets drafted by Oakland - Lorain County Ironmen
- Ironmen can't hold six run lead, lose late to Paints 11-9 - Lorain County Ironmen
- Sliders' Comeback Falls Short Against Gems - Springfield Sliders
- Springfield Sliders Game Notes - Springfield Sliders
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