The Ashland Arrows had three tight wins on the baseball diamond last week, highlighted by a pair of Ohio Cardinal Conference wins over Mount Vernon.
Coach Rick Gough’s squad is coming off a 12-12 season, and they played well in the OCC by going 8-6 for third place. The Yellow Jackets were 11-3 last season and were second in the conference, so the two wins for Ashland was huge even in the early stages of the 2024 season.
Ashland brings back eight lettermen, with most being two and three year starters. There are five senior returners including Luke Bryant (P/1B/OF); Logan Fulk (P/1B); Ethan Bunce (C/3B); Owen Shade (P/OF) and CJ Cox (2B/P). Junior returners are Alex Grissinger (SS/P); Michael Franz (OF/P) and Tyler Holt (OF/P).
Gough said the team’s starting lineup will be based on who starts on the mound. Bryant, Fulk, Tyler Holt and Miles Farnsworth will be starters this year. Relievers are Grissinger, Shade, Franz, Cox and Justin Kyser.
He said the team’s strengths are pitching, as well as defense where there are six returning starters. They will need to work on their hitting this season to make a strong push, however.
“For us to be successful we need to cut down on strike outs and put the ball in play,” Gough said. “We expect to compete for a OCC Championship as well as compete for Sectional and District Championships. The OCC will be a battle between Wooster, Mt Vernon, Ashland with New Philly, Lexington, West Holmes not far behind.”
Ashland 7, Mount Vernon 6
The Arrows squeaked by with a 7-6 win over Mount Vernon in OCC action on April 3, led by Cox’s three RBI showing.
Ashland got on the board with two runs in the first inning, with a run scoring on an error that was followed by Joey Isenhart getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to go up 2-0. The Arrows made it a three run game when Bryant saw the opportunity and went for it with a rare steal of home.
It was Mount Vernon’s turn in the top of the fourth, with Isiah Columber hitting an RBI single to make it 3-1. They cut the lead to one when Carter Castleman hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Nolan Hershberger. The Yellow Jackets took a 4-3 lead on a two run double by Kayden Packard, scoring Columber and Castleman. They made it a two run lead on an RBI single by Konner Daughriety.
Ashland cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fourth when Grissinger hit an RBI single, and then Bryant tied the ballgame on an RBI single. One batter later, Cox lined a single to left that knocked in two runs to make it 7-5.
In the top of the sixth, Mount Vernon made it a 7-6 game on an RBI double by Zac Clow. Holt was able to sit down the Yellow Jackets in order in the top of the seventh, however, giving Ashland the tight win.
Bryant picked up the win for Ashland, going four innings, allowing five earned runs, six hits, and three walks, while striking out five. Holt pitched three innings of relief, allowing two hits and one earned run, while striking out three.
Bryant was also the top performer at the plate, with a 2-for-3 day with a walk, an RBI and two runs. Franz went 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk.
Mount Vernon was led by Packard, who went 2-for-4 with a double, with two RBIs and two runs. Jonny Askew was 2-for-4 with a run, and Clow went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI.
Daughriety took the loss, going three and one-third innings, allowing four hits, six runs but four earned and three walks, while striking out eight.
Ashland 6, Mount Vernon 5
Ashland and Mount Vernon were locked in a 5-5 tie until the 10th inning, when Bunce drove in a run on a single to right to take the 6-5 win.
Ashland took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Grissinger grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Franz. They added another run in the second inning on a Logan Fulk single to right, scoring Isenhart. In the third inning, Shade and Tanner Wolfe walked with the bases loaded and Mount Vernon went up 4-0. They added a run in the top of the fourth on a Bryant single, with Bunce coming around to score.
Mount Vernon then scored five unanswered runs to put the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Columber scored on a passed ball. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Packard hit a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to three. After Clow reached on an error to load the bases, Daughriety ripped a single to center, scoring three runs to tie the game.
After more than two scoreless extra innings, Bunce’s heroics came with two outs in the top of the 10th, when he lined an RBI single. Grissinger, who got the win, sat down the side in order in the 10th inning to seal the victory.
Grissinger pitched three and two-thirds innings of relief, allowing three hits, one unearned run and three walks, while striking out two.
Franz was 2-for-5 with a triple and two runs to lead the offense for Ashland.
Columber led the offense for Mount Vernon, going 2-for-5 with a pair of runs. Caden Theibert and Clow each had doubles in the game, as well.
Askew picked up the loss, but pitched well in the game. He had three innings of relief, and every out was a strikeout with nine total. He allowed only one hit and an unearned run, while walking one batter.
Ashland 5, Perkins 4
Ashland won another close battle, this time against Perkins, where the Nick Manges drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth to take the late lead and eventually win the game on April 6.
Perkins scored a run in the first inning, but Ashland wasted no time to tie things up 1-1 on an RBI single by Bryant. In the bottom of the second, Shade scored on a passed ball to go up 2-1. Perkins tied the game again in the third inning, and then took the lead in the fourth on an RBI single. They extended the lead to 4-2 in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Bryant hit an RBI single with two outs to cut the lead to one. Cox then walked to load the bases, and Shade singled to centerfield to knock in a run and tie the game. The next batter was a bases loaded walk for Manges, and Ashland held on the rest of the way for the win.
Bryant was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Shade had a 2-for-3 day with an RBI and a run. Franz was 2-for-3 with a run.
Farnsworth got the win, going three innings of relief with one earned run allowed, two hits and two walks, while striking out two.
