BLANCHESTER — A seven-run sixth inning put the game away Friday as Blanchester defeated Clinton-Massie 15-7 in a non-league game at Bott Field.
Reagan Burch had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Brody Rice, Adam Frump and Bryce Sipple also had two RBI each. Frump scored three runs.
Gabe McDowell had three hits. Cayden Clutter had two hits and two RBI.
Zach West earned the pitching win for BHS with Trenton Czaika earning the save.
“I was very proud of Zach and his performance,” BHS coach Aaron Lawson said of the sophomore making his first varsity start. “He proved he can pitch against a quality ball team.”
Lawson said the Wildcats didn’t play well defensively behind West and Czaika.
“Right now we are throwing way too many pitches to complete a game,” Lawson said. “146 (pitches) earlier in the week and 155 (against Massie). We have some quality arms. We need to quit giving hitters so much credit and attack them. If we can pitch from in front, a lot of good things are going to happen.”
Vance was tagged with the loss for the Falcons. Tyler Keck gave up five unearned runs.
It was a matter of Blanchester answering each Clinton-Massie offensive surge.
In the first, Cayden Clutter doubled home Gabe McDowell.
In the bottom of the first, the Wildcats answered when Reagan Burch walked, stole second, moved to third in a passed ball. He scored on Trenton Czaika’s sacrifice fly to tie the game, 1-1.
Blanchester took a 2-1 lead when Jacob Hamm doubled in Adam Frump in the second.
The Falcons plated four runs in the top of the third. Clutter and Tyler Keck were hit by pitches. Later in the inning, Wildermuth knocked in Clutter before Dakota Gasaway walked to load the bases.
A BHS error allowed two runs to score and put the Falcons in front 5-2.
But the Wildcats answered with a six-run third.
Brody Rice hit a two-run homer to make it 5-4. The homer, Rice’s fourth of the year, went over the scoreboard at BHS. Frump then plated Zach West with a double to tie it 5-5. Bryce Sipple drove in two runs with a single and Blanchester was on top 8-5.
Carson Vanhoose singled with the bases loaded in the fifth to get Massie within 8-6 but Blanchester put the game out of reach with a big sixth inning.
“It was nice to see after our two worse innings defensively we responded immediately with bats,” said Lawson. “Everyone hit top to bottom.”
Carson Curless (single), Burch (double) and Rice (walk) reach to load the bases. West, Cole Ficke and Frump followed with RBIs.
Two Massie errors kept the inning going and made it 13-6 BHS. Burch knocked in the final two runs of the inning, 15-6.
The Falcons didn’t go down without a fight in the seventh. Clutter had a two-out single to score Gasaway.
