ANSONIA – The Arcanum Trojans used a big fourth inning and strong work on the mound to earn a 9-5 Western Ohio Athletic Conference baseball win over the host Ansonia Tigers.
Arcanum broke through first in the top of the third inning when Kale Kramer delivered a single to put the Trojans on the board.
The Trojans then took control in the fourth, scoring six runs on four hits to build separation. Caleb Baker singled home a run, Landon Brewer doubled in another, Derek Longstreth and Regan Christ each produced a run with groundouts, Kolton Quigney added an RBI single, and an Ansonia error brought home another run.
“We had the bases loaded and didn’t score any, and we had a bunch of strikeouts looking early,” said Arcanum coach Randy Baker. “I didn’t think we were ready to attack the zone. We need to do a better job of that.”
Bishop Cartwright earned the win for Arcanum, working four innings and allowing just one hit and two unearned runs while striking out eight and walking three. Ethan Kearney came on to collect the save for the Trojans.
Lander Shives took the loss for Ansonia, pitching four innings and allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits while striking out seven and walking four.
Arcanum finished with nine hits on the day. Brewer, Kearney, and Longstreth each had two hits to lead the offense. Kramer, Brewer, Christ, Baker, Kearney, Longstreth, and Quigney all drove in one run. Kearney also stole two bases as the Trojans swiped six bases in the game.
Despite the loss, Ansonia continued to battle and showed improvement at the plate. Kam Ingle paced the Tigers by going 2-for-4. Owen Kaiser, Ingle, Sam Evers, and Caleb Eubank each drove in a run for Ansonia. The Tigers also showed patience at the plate, drawing six walks, with Noah Heck and Bryson Thornburg each earning two free passes.
“They hit the ball well, we had a few errors that kind of cost us,” said Ansonia coach TJ Philpot. “With a young team, I am happy with the way the guys battled back.”
“Arcanum is a good ball club, and that is what we’re trying to get to,” Philpot added. “I like the way the boys fought today. We hit the ball a little better than we have been in the past, so all in all it was a loss, but we still saw some good.”
“If we play like this the rest of the way, we should get some wins in the scoring column,” Philpot said.
Baker said adjusting to Ansonia’s new field was part of the game plan.
“It’s a new field,” said Baker. “Biggest thing was let’s hit line drives and ground balls. With a newer field like this, balls are going to take bad bounces – it’s that way for both teams and we knew that, that’s why we were playing our infield basically in the whole game.”
Baker also praised the Tigers’ new facility after the game.
“Beautiful facility here, this is really nice,” said Baker. “Ansonia should be very proud of this. This is awesome to play in. Give it a couple of years for the grass to take root.”
BOX SCORE:
123 456 7 R H E
001 620 0 9 9 2 Arcanum
000 212 0 5 5 2 Ansonia
