Riverside 5, Milton-Union 1
The Riverside Pirates got a complete-game gem from Brody Orsborne in a 5-1 win over Milton-Union, striking out 13 over seven innings.
Orsborne allowed only one hit and two walks, giving up his lone run in the second inning when Milton-Union’s leadoff hitter scored on a groundout after moving around the bases.
Riverside’s offense took control in the fourth inning, with runners on the corners and one out, an error allowed Cooper Crouch and Camden Shoe to advance. Colton Hurley followed with an RBI single to bring home one run, and Shoe added another on an RBI single to put Riverside up 3-1.
The Pirates added insurance runs in the sixth with a combination of singles, an RBI groundout from Tony Robinson, and another RBI single from Shoe to make it 5-1.
Offensively, Camden Shoe and Hurley each recorded multiple hits, with Shoe scoring twice and Hurley driving in two runs.
Riverside moves to 3-0 will return to the diamond on Friday against Fairlawn.
Mechanicsburg 9, Elgin 0
The Mechanicsburg Indians opened their season in dominant fashion, rolling past Elgin 9-0 in a complete-game shutout.
Connor Eyink provided an immediate spark, launching a one-out, two-run home run over the center-field fence in the first inning to give the Indians an early 2-0 lead.
The offense exploded in the third inning. Crew Lafary led off with a double, followed by a hit-by-pitch to Eli Wilson. Eyink doubled again to bring home another run, and Hank Huffman singled to extend the lead to 4-0. Bodee Delong followed with an RBI double to push the score to 5-0.
The fourth inning saw a string of four consecutive one-out walks, bringing in two more runs, followed by an RBI groundout from Huffman and a wild pitch scoring Wilson. Matthew Davis singled to right to score Eyink for his third run of the inning, cementing the Indians’ commanding lead.
Eyink was a dual threat, going 2-for-2 at the plate with four RBIs and three runs scored, while also starting on the mound. He allowed just two hits and struck out eight over five innings. Ethan Hodge finished the game, giving up only one hit and one walk while striking out one.
Mechanicsburg now prepares to face Graham on Saturday.
Tecumseh 8, West Liberty-Salem 7
The West Liberty-Salem Tigers dropped a heartbreaker in the season opener, falling 8-7 to Tecumseh in a back-and-forth contest. The Tigers jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Isaac Sertell reached on an error, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a triple by Reese Oder. Additional runs came via a fielder’s choice and an infield error, giving the Tigers a three-run cushion.
Tecumseh immediately responded in the bottom of the first, scoring three to tie the game. The teams traded leads over the next few innings, with West Liberty-Salem retaking the lead 4-3 in the third on a Brandel Sullivan single that drove in Braden Hershberger, only for Tecumseh to score a pair in the bottom half to reclaim a 5-4 advantage. WL-S tied the game in the fourth, but Tecumseh scored two more runs to make it 7-5.
The Tigers’ comeback hopes came in the seventh. Sertell doubled and later scored, followed by a wild pitch advancing Dallas Koons and a potential tying run at the plate. Reese Oder grounded out to shortstop on the fourth pitch of his at-bat, ending the game 8-7.
Sertell led West Liberty-Salem offensively with two doubles and three runs scored, while Hershberger added multiple hits and a run scored. The Tigers will take on Piqua on Thursday.
