Article by Thomas Duzan
After a volatile period of weather, Hornbrook Field saw its first baseball action on Thursday evening, as the JV Marshall Lions played host to the OPH Wildcats at home for their first game of the season. It was a game of ups and downs, and the pace was slowing quite a bit from normal speed. Despite that slow start, things picked up after a big first two innings for the Lions.
In the end, the Lions were able to grind out a win, being victorious by the final score of 12-9.
It would be Branson Maskell to take the mound for Marshall, and he had some control problems early on. He walked the leadoff batter J.W. Swaner and Cole Littlejohn to start the game. From there, Foster Dix singled to load the bases for Kahle Tohn who struck out for the first out. The second out came when Fox Coulter grounded into a fielder’s choice, which scored Swaner for the first run.
The damage was kept at a minimum with a strikeout of Cooper Dix. The bottom of the first saw Maskell come to the plate to lead off, and he got on base with a walk. Rocco Giannavola came up next and was hit by a pitch to put baserunners at first and second with no outs.
Up next came Max Welsh, who knocked a two-run RBI double that scored both Maskell and Giannavola. Welsh later came in to score on an RBI groundout for Mason Ellington. Eight Marshall batters came to the plate to score three times and give Marshall a 3-1 lead after an inning of play.
It would be in the second inning where things got a bit out of hand. The inning started with two straight hits, then saw a run come in on an RBI single for Swaner. A two-run RBI double for Tohn added to the onslaught. OPH batted around until the first out was made on an RBI sacrifice fly for Conner Nelson. A groundout and popout finally brought the inning to a close.
Marshall was able to answer back with four more runs in the bottom of the inning. After David Sherrill popped out, Maskell singled. Three straight walks to Giannavola, Max Welsh and Cole Thompson brought Maskell in to score. Giannavola, Welsh, and Thompson all came in to score in the inning as well. Preston Welsh and Caden O’Rourke both walked but were stranded on base.
So through just two innings of play, it was 9-7 in favor of the Wildcats.
Following a scoreless top of the third, the Lions were able to scratch across another run. Evan Hilderbrand started with a walk, and Sherrill was hit by a pitch. Back came the top of the order to Maskell who also walked but was picked off later in the inning for the second out.
Hilderbrand came in to score on an RBI single for Max Welsh which made the score 9-8 OPH going to the fourth.
The first three innings saw nine hits and 14 walks combined between the two teams, then the top of the fourth saw the pace pick up a bit. By this point, O’Rourke had come in to pitch, and despite allowing a couple of hits was able to keep that run off the board. Then in the bottom of the inning, the Lions tied the game.
Preston Welsh led off with a walk, then two batters later came in on an RBI groundout for O’Rourke. That tied the game 9-9 going to the fifth.
After a scoreless top of the fifth, the Lions took the lead with three in the bottom of the inning. Asher Ring, who had come into the game for Sherrill led off with a groundout, then Maskell and Giannavola both singled. Max Welsh drove in Maskell with an RBI single, then Giannavola and Max Welsh came in to score on a two-run RBI single for Preston Welsh. That made it 12-9 Marshall, where it would stay until the end.