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AHS baseball knocked out of tourney by Spencerville 

By Cort Reynolds

The Ada High School baseball team stayed close to visiting league rival Spencerville for six innings of a pitcher's duel before falling 6-1 in Div. IV sectional first round action on Tuesday evening, May 17, at Ada War Memorial Park.

Spencerville led 3-1 after the first inning, but then both pitchers bore down and pitched shutout ball over the next five frames. 

The Bearcats broke through to tack on three more insurance runs in the top of the seventh.

Ada dropped to 6-14 with the defeat, while Spencerville improved to 8-16 after the win. The Bearcats advance to visit top seed Lincolnview (18-5) Thursday, May 19 in the sectional finals at 5 p.m.

Ada senior Kadin Phipps pitched well before tiring in the final inning, but he managed to complete the seven-inning game.

The Bearcats jumped in front early with three runs in the top of the first inning. Ada answered by scoring in the home half of the first.

Junior shortstop Spencer Wall led off by drilling a two-strike double over the right fielder's head for Ada. One out later, he scored on an RBI ground-out to second base off the bat of third baseman Roman Snyder.

In the second, Max Puerto singled to left field with one out for the Bulldogs, but he was picked off by Bearcat hurler Evan Osting.

Phipps retired the Bearcats in order for the second straight inning in the third, using his curve ball well.

Hard-throwing Osting struck out the Bulldog side in the bottom of the third.

Bearcat catcher Sy Morris singled and stole second base with one out in the fourth, but Phipps retired the last two batters on a whiff and a fly out to left fielder Kaine Fisher.

Osting struck out the side again in the Ada fourth, making it seven whiffs in a row and eight of the last nine set down on strikes.

In the top of the fifth, Phipps issued a walk and gave up a sharp single to right field by Carter Layman. But with two runners in scoring position, Phipps got out of the jam by inducing a pop-out to Wall.

Bearcat shortstop Tyler Koenig made a nice running catch of a pop-up in shallow left field leading off the Ada fifth. Osting then struck out the next two batters.

In the sixth, Phipps retired two batters on fly balls to center fielder Levi Sousley. After hitting Emerson Layman, he got the third out on a force-out grounder from Snyder to Jacob Sutherly.

Osting put Ada down in order again in the sixth, finishing with a called third strike fastball on the inside corner.

In the top of the seventh the visitors added on three key runs to provide some insurance. An error and an infield single allowed Carter Ringwald to score from second base.

A ground-out plated Jack Cox to make the score 5-1. Eli Harter then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in another run for a 6-1 bulge.

In the bottom of the seventh, Ada threatened. Sutherly walked leading off, and Snyder roped a double to the left field fence.

Phipps hit a blooper into short right field but second baseman Emerson Layman made a fine running catch to stem the Ada momentum.

Lester Amos struck out as a pinch hitter, and Puerto grounded out to shortstop to end the threat and game.

Wall and Snyder doubled, while Puerto singled for the Ada hits.

Osting struck out 13 Bulldogs and allowed just one earned run on three hits.

Phipps struck out seven Bearcats.

 

   123 456 7 R H E

Svl 300 000 3 6 5 0

Ada 100 000 0 1 3 2

WP-Osting LP-Phipps

2B-Snyder (A), Wall (A)

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