Martin's complete game puts Pirates in first place

PERKINS TWP. — Braxden Martin has started three games on the mound this season for Perkins. He's finished all three. Martin scattered five hits in Perkins' 5-1 win against Norwalk on Thursday in a well-played game that included just one error and two walks. Martin threw 91 pitches, did not walk a batter and struck out five as the Pirates improved to 8-2 overall and tied Norwalk and Bellevue for first place in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division at 3-1. "When Braxden's on the mound, he's going," Perkins coach TJ Blanton said. "He's a bulldog out there. We trust him and we're not gonna get him off the mound. He's probably gonna be in there the whole game unless his arm falls off." Martin was helped by Perkins' four-run first inning. The Pirates bunched five of their six hits in the opening frame. "Good to get those four runs," Blanton said. "We did that last night (in a win at Bellevue). That really helps your pitcher and kinda lets the guys play loose." Dylan Crabtree led off the bottom of the first with a walk and stole second on a close play. It was the first of six stolen bases for the senior center fielder. "He's dangerous on the bases. He makes really good reads," Blanton said. "He knows the counts and when to steal. That helps when you can guess an off-speed pitch is coming. Those are good ones to steal on. He's been doing it for a while. He gets on, he can get around those bases and we get him in." Crabtree scored on Martin's sharp single. Martin scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 and Talon Walton's two-run double scored Quinten Binette (single) and Kash Koch (double). Norwalk starter Wesley Shupe answered one shaky inning with four innings of one-hit baseball to keep the Truckers in it. "He closed out the game last night at Tiffin, threw 16 pitches, and was ready to go," Norwalk coach Jason Higgins said. "They found some gaps, but he settled right in. That's the Wesley Shupe we know." Norwalk, which fell to 6-3, 3-1, scored its run in the second. Kevin Howard led off with a double and scored on Kaedyn Warner's groundout. Howard also singled and had two of Norwalk's five hits. "You scratch that first inning and we played a pretty clean game," Higgins said. "It wasn't an effort thing; we came here and we were ready to play. They scratched them across in the first inning and played a good baseball game." The Truckers turned two double plays to keep things close. "We have confidence in our guys that they're gonna make plays, especially in big spots," Higgins said. "Those double plays are game-changers. Unfortunately, we couldn't scratch a couple more across early and make things interesting." Higgins offered a painful grin when asked about Crabtree's first stolen base, which fueled Perkins' four-run burst. Howard, Norwalk's catcher, fired to second but Crabtree was ruled safe. "High school baseball doesn't have review — I hope it never does," Higgins said. "That was definitely one that we would've liked to have and might have changed some momentum early. "We knew he was moving. He's a great baserunner and gets good reads. That close call definitely changed some things early." Norwalk had runners on base in three of the last four innings. The bases stayed clean in the top of the fifth thanks to Perkins right fielder Mason Souter, who made two diving catches as he rumbled in on fly balls. "I can't thank him enough," Martin said. "I can't thank my teammates enough for having my back the whole game. I definitely trust them 1,000 percent." Blanton said Souter has been moved around on defense and is in the lineup because of his bat. "He's hitting the ball so well so we have to find a spot for him out there," Blanton said. "He's been pretty much everywhere in the infield. He made it interesting, but he made the plays." Norwalk's lone run was unearned due to the game's only error. Martin kept throwing strikes. "That's one of the things I try focusing on," he said. "When we walk people, runs get scored." Perkins plays at Shelby on Friday and at Firelands on Saturday. The Pirates, who have won three straight Lake games, return to Lake Division play next Wednesday at home against Clyde. "We're confident and we gotta keep stacking days," Martin said. Norwalk has a Saturday home doubleheader with Western Reserve up next before hosting Bellevue next Wednesday. "We're still in first place, we're gonna do what we're doing whether we won or lost," Higgins said. "Trucker baseball is ingrained in these guys' minds right now. They know what they need to do." Norwalk 010 000 0 — 1 5 0Perkins 400 001 x — 5 6 1 WP: Martin. LP: Shupe 2B: (N) Howard; (P) K. Koch, Walton