Huron bounces back with 7-3 win against Columbian

SANDUSKY — Huron was happy about getting in another baseball game at the end of a soggy week. The Tigers were even happier after rallying for a 7-3 win over Tiffin Columbian on Friday afternoon on the turf at Sports Force Parks. Grant Periat started on the mound for Huron and threw five strong innings before Grant Humphrey locked down the last two frames. Huron (2-1) got contributions from several players on the first day of the school's spring break. The Tigers' bats were cold early before catching up to the balmy temperatures with five hits in a four-run sixth inning to break open a tie game. "We've been preaching the team game and that was really good," Huron coach Dan Lindsley said. "We moved some things around in the lineup because we're still figuring it out. What I liked more than anything — and you can talk about some individual guys who did really well like Periat and Humphrey on the mound and Ryan Hand getting two hits — but the biggest thing was the team approach to it this afternoon." Huron, which scored just one run against a strong Norwalk team in a loss Thursday, trailed 2-0 headed to the bottom of the fourth. Columbian (0-2), which used four pitchers in the game, walked three Tigers in the fourth and two in the fifth to give the home team a boost. Huron tied the game with two runs with two out in the fourth inning. Sam Cox, one of five seniors on the Tigers' roster, singled with one out before his freshman brother Casey pinch-hit with two out and ripped a single to center field. Noah Maloney worked a walk before Hand walked to bring in Huron's first run. Jack Raglow walked to bring in the second run and it was a new 2-2 game. "In high school baseball, sometimes being smart on pitches is big," Lindsley said. "There was a pocket where they walked three or four. Ryan took a walk, Noah Maloney took a walk. That turned the table for us. Baseball's that type of game. Sometimes it's a little nubber, sometimes it's a walk. The walks got us going and then the bats started going." Periat struck out six Tornadoes in his five innings on the mound. Columbian's two runs in the first inning came with two out. "I was really hitting my spots today; my curveball felt good," he said. "The first inning my slider was moving and I switched to the curve and they were swinging and missing on that one. I hit the high spots with my fastball and they were chasing those. I was mixing it up and throwing strikes." Added Lindsley: "He's looked really good in the preseason. It's nice to see him out there. He had a bum ankle and he's doing well with that. He was a big reason why we were able to be in a position to win it." Periat, who batted cleanup, walked in the fifth and scored on a wild pitch before Columbian tied the game at 3-3 on Conner Reese's double to left field that just eluded a diving Raglow. That set the stage for the Tigers' sixth. Humphrey led off and singled to left-center on the third pitch he saw. "I was gonna swing at the first one if it was a strike," he said. "I swung pretty hard and then I was in protect mode. I led off (the inning) and wanted to set the tone for my team." Hand followed with his second hit before Raglow singled to load the bases. Humphrey made it home when TC's third baseman couldn't handle a bouncing grounder from Braden Hall. Lindsley thought about pinch-running for Humphrey before opting to keep him on base so he could pitch the seventh. "We got him on base. He's not the fastest guy in the world, but we couldn't pinch-run for him because he didn't start the game," Lindsley said. "He's done a nice job in the offseason of getting himself in better shape and it showed." Landon Hohler added a sacrifice fly before Sam Cox delivered a two-out RBI single. It was his third hit of the game. Humphrey got a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh to finish off the victory. He got an assist on Raglow's diving catch in left field to retire TC leadoff batter Jaxson Little. "Great dive," said Humphrey, who struck out three batters. "I was scared because the (sixth) inning I gave up a hit in the same spot. He was ready for it. He told me 'I got you' and he was ready." Huron is scheduled to play at South Central at noon Saturday before opening SBC Bay Division play Monday at Port Clinton. The Tigers will be without a handful of key players until late next week due to spring break. "We've got 14, 15 guys who can play baseball pretty well," Lindsley said. "Some days you play a lot, some days you don't. This was a good example. Guys didn't get pouty and were ready when called upon. "It was a good team effort. Casey Cox got his first varsity hit, Sammy got a couple hits, which he needed. We played really well defensively. Gabe DiSanto made some nice plays at first base. If we want to win some games that's how we're gonna have to do it." Columbian 200 001 0 — 3 5 1 Huron 000 214 x — 7 9 0 WP: Periat. LP: Egbert. 2B: (C) Reese