By Thomas Duzan
On Thursday rivalry day was in full effect. As the Marshall Lady Lions and Casey-Westfield Lady Warriors were squaring off at Fairview Park, the Marshall Lions and Casey-Westfield Warriors were facing off at the baseball field elsewhere in town. The Lions and Warriors played a closely contested game for much of the way.
A couple of innings saw mistakes committed by Marshall that led to Casey runs, and in the end, Casey came out on top by the score of 6-3.
Branson Maskell led the game off in the top of the first against Warrior starting pitcher Hayden Lovell. He saw a few good pitches and fouled them off but ultimately struck out. Tucker Osborn picked up the first hit of the game when he got on with an infield single, on which an error was also committed.
Up next was Garrett Pugh, who grounded out back to the pitcher. Osborn made his way around to third in the inning but was stranded after Reed Ramey struck out. Payton McGuire took to the mound for this game and started off facing Jack Julius, who drew a walk. He then struck out Chase Whaley.
Julius came around to score on an RBI single from Daryn Hupp. Hupp looked to turn it into a double, but a good throw would get him out at second. A strikeout of Lovell brought an end to the inning with the Warriors up 1-0 after an inning of play.
The Lions came back to tie it in the second. Eli Thompson grounded out, then Ayden Houpt got on base thanks to an error. He made his way to second and would score on an RBI double for Max Welsh after he lined a solid shot down the right field line.
Gavan Propst bunted him over to third and Liam Keim walked to put runners at the corners with two outs for Maskell, but they would be left on base after he struck out. Casey got a couple of runners in their half of the second when Jackson High and Carson Hall singled, but then McGuire got Drake Worby to fly out to end the second and make it now a tie game at 1-1.
The top of the third saw Marshall take the lead. Osborn struck out and Pugh popped out to third, but then Ramey connected with the right pitch and made a double of it as a result. He would then come in to score soon after when Thompson brought him in with an RBI single. McGuire gave up a leadoff walk to Juiius in the bottom of the third. Then Whaley tried to bunt him over but the bunt was popped up and Pugh caught it. Julius was running on the play and was hung up as the throw to first doubled him up for a double play.
Hupp would pop out to second to end the third and send the game to the fourth with Marshall now up by a run at 2-1.
The top of the fourth started with a leadoff walk for Welsh, but after that the side was retired with Propst, Keim and Maskell all striking out. Lovell reached base on an error to start the fourth, then Tyler Volk came up with an infield single. High brought in a run with an RBI groundout and Volk came around to score on a wild pitch. Those runs made it 3-2 in favor of the Warriors going to the fifth.
It was a relatively quiet fifth inning for both teams. Osborn popped out, then Pugh and Ramey both struck out. After a Worby strikeout, Julius reached on an error. Whaley then struck out, but Hupp followed with a walk. Despite the error which has lately led to runs given up at times, McGuire got Lovell to ground out for the third out to keep any potential runs off the board. So going to the sixth it was still 3-2 Warriors.
In the top of the sixth the Lions came back to briefly tie the game back up. Thompson started with a walk, then Houpt singled. That hit prompted a change in pitcher for Casey as Whaley came on in relief of Lovell. Welsh would be the first hitter he faced and he would strikeout, but then Propst came up with a double.
Thompson was on base awaiting the ball to fall and did and looked to score on the play but was thrown out at home looking to score. Houpt did come in to score the tying run later in the inning on a wild pitch. Osborn came up with the bases loaded looking to take the lead but popped out on the infield to negate the threat.
The tie was brief because in the bottom of the sixth the Warriors retook the lead. Volk grounded out and High flew out for the first two outs, but then Landon Justice hit a fly ball toward Ramey in left center, Ramey had a brief stumble on the play which caused th ball to fall for a double.
Two batters later, Justice and Hall scored on a two-run RBI double for Worby. Julius then reached on an error to bring an end to McGuire’s outing and send Pugh to the mound. He got the final out of the inning when Whaley grounded out, but not before Casey had the lead back at 6-3.
Pugh led off the seventh looking to start a rally and hit a frozen rope to left field, but it unfortunately found a glove for the first out. Ramey then popped out, but then Thompson got on with an infield single, on which there was also an error. With Houpt now at the plate Thompson got a lead off at first but got caught leaning the wrong way and was picked off to end the game and give the Warriors the 6-3 final score win.