BASEBALL: Huron holds off Margaretta for key SBC Bay victory

HURON — Huron's offense managed only two singles Wednesday but pushed across a pair of unearned runs in its timely 2-1 baseball win over Margaretta. The Tigers were in major need of a win after losing their Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division opener against Edison. The victory raised Huron's record to 5-4, 1-1 in the Bay. Margaretta dropped to 2-2, 0-2. The Tigers got a complete game from senior starter Chris Hand, who scattered 83 pitches. The Polar Bears threatened in the top of the seventh inning when Kellen Moore singled. Moore was the only player on either team with two hits Wednesday. Pinch-runner Nathan Schaefer moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt before advancing to third on a ground ball. That brought up leadoff hitter Spencer Michel. On a full count, the speedy senior hit a slow roller to shortstop Cody Mamere, who charged the ball and got Michel on a close play at first to end the game. "I was a little worried, but he got him," said Hand. "Our defense was good; they got to every ball. It's a big win." Hand's pitching prevented the Tigers from falling two games out of first in the Bay. "He didn't get a lot of strikeouts, which is unusual, but he got a lot of ground balls," Huron coach Dan Lindsley said. "There's a certain confidence level when Chris is on the mound." Thomas Cozzens and Aiden Kastor were the only Tigers with base hits off Margaretta freshman pitcher Sean Reardon, who also threw a complete game on 92 pitches. "He pitched the crap out of it tonight," Margaretta coach Ray Neill said. "And our catcher, Reese Keegan, also did a great job." The Polar Bears took a 1-0 lead with two out in the top of the second. Colson Biehl walked and moved to second on a Moore single. He scored on Keegan's hit. Margaretta got a runner to third base in the third inning before Hand retired the Bears in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth. "We put the ball in play but didn't square it up," said Neill. "We needed a big hit but they pitched well also. It was a well-played, well-pitched high school baseball game." Huron took a 2-1 lead in the third. Adam Murray reached on an error and Mamere walked to put two runners on with one out. Murray and Mamere moved up a base on a groundout and scored when Cozzens reached on an error. "(Reardon) did a nice job keeping us off balance," Lindsley said. "This was a must-have win. We didn't throw it around and made the plays when we had to." Margaretta 010 000 0 — 1 5 5Huron 002 000 x — 2 2 1 WP: Chris Hand. LP: Sean Reardon Clyde 7, Sandusky 4 CLYDE -- Clyde's offense had 14 hits, including five doubles, in a 7-4 win over Sandusky. Mason Dick went 3 for 4 with two doubles and two runs scored to lead the Fliers. Macoy Dickman also went 3 for 4 and Will Lozier, Dillon Overmyer and Zach Hickman each had two hits for Clyde (2-5, 1-2 SBC Lake). Tony Winter went 3 for 3 with two runs scored for Sandusky (3-3, 0-2). Anthony D'Amico reached base four times (two singles, two walks). Kaiden Olson got the win, striking out eight in five innings on the mound. Sandusky 000 211 0 -- 4 9 5Clyde 011 212 x -- 7 14 1 WP: Kaiden Olson. LP: Xzavier Santana 2B: (S) Daquaris Brown, Jaxson Cramer, Tony Winter; (C) Dillon Overmyer, Mason Dick 2, Trevor Phillips, Macoy Dickman Sandusky (3-2, 0-1) at Clyde (1-5, 0-2) Vermilion 2, Tiffin Columbian 0 TIFFIN -- Vermilion's Jacob Krausher threw a two-hit shutout, striking out 10 to lead the Sailors to a 2-0 win over Columbian. The Sailors (4-3, 3-0 SBC Lake) scored in the top of the first when leadoff batter Nick Werth was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on Krausher's two-out single. The Tornadoes fell to 4-2, 0-2. Vermilion 101 000 0 -- 2 6 0Columbian 000 000 0 -- 0 2 0 WP: Jacob Krausher. LP: Carson Mellott Edison 11, Willard 4 WILLARD — Edison went on the road to earn its second league win, moving to 5-2, 2-0 SBC Bay. The Chargers were led by a three-run home run from Noah Smith. On the mound for Edison was Keegan Smith, who threw six innings and struck out four to earn the victory. Brady Barker also played a big role, tripling as part of his two hits and driving in two, and Clint Finnen had three hits for the Chargers. Edison — 11 10 3Willard — 4 7 1 WP: Keegan Smith. LP: Robinson 2B: (E) Clint Finnen, Dominic Dymond. 3B: (E) Brady Barker. HR: (E) Noah Smith Oak Harbor 7, Port Clinton 4 OAK HARBOR -- Oak Harbor scored two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth in a 7-4 win over Port Clinton. Gunner Gregg went 2 for 3 with an RBI for the Rockets (4-3, 2-0 SBC Bay). OH tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth on Mason Wagner's sacrifice fly and took the lead for good when Gregg's two-out single scored Grant Belcher. For PC, Grant Miller and Luke Halsey each had two hits. Port Clinton 001 200 1 -- 4 8 4Oak Harbor 020 023 -- 7 8 4 WP: Justin Meloche. LP: Fodor 2B: (PC) Halsey; (OH) Gunner Gregg New Riegel 17, St. Mary CC 0 (5 innings) NEW RIEGEL — Logan Schalk threw a one-hitter for New Riegel (5-1, 2-1 SBC River) as his offense put up 15 hits to dominate St. Mary Central Catholic. Drew Theis, Carson Whipple and Drew Hohman all went 3 for 3 for New Riegel, with Theis doubling twice. SMCC leadoff hitter Anderson Gennari tallied the lone hit for the Panthers. SMCC 000 00 — 0 1 3New Riegel 554 3x — 17 15 1 WP: Schalk. LP: McClung 2B: (NR) Drew Theis (2), Drew Hohman Hopewell-Loudon 13, Danbury 0 (5 innings) BASCOM — Noah Miller pitched a one-hitter for the Chieftains in a five-inning win. He struck out 12 to earn the victory as Hopewell-Loudon's offense was led by a Adam Sendelbach grand slam. Danbury's lone hit came from its Kaden Conrad. Danbury 000 00 — 0 1 2Hopewell-Loudon 470 2x — 13 7 0 WP: Miller. LP: Conrad HR: Sendelbach (GS)