Perkins leads Bellevue 3-0 before rain suspends game

BELLEVUE — The finish will have to wait for another day. The key Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division contest between Division IV No. 9 Perkins and Division IV No. 5 Bellevue was suspended due to bad weather after one batter in the top of the seventh inning Thursday with Perkins leading 3-0. It had been a wild two days for the two teams. They originally were supposed to play at Perkins on Wednesday before the game was briefly announced as being played at Bellevue. Stronger weather later Wednesday forced the game to eventually be postponed. The two teams announced early Thursday it was going to be made up that day at Perkins, only for the game to move to Bellevue a little after 3 p.m. "It's been crazy," Pirates coach TJ Blanton said. "We're trying to get our field ready. They're trying to get their field ready. Rain here, rain there and a huge storm pops up and floods the field. That's spring sports in Ohio. "I wanted to get the game in earlier. I know our ADs talked about moving it back, but if we can get it in, let's get it in. You don't know what the weather is going to be like next week or the week after that." Thursday's weather started out nice. It was 73 degrees and sunny at first pitch, but dark skies moved in during the fifth inning. By the sixth inning, the wind picked up. After Carter Koch reached on an error to start the seventh, thunder brought the game into a delay. After about 20 minutes, the game was called and will be resumed May 1 when the teams play for the second time this season at Perkins. "It's probably tougher on the coaches," Bellevue coach Andy Dennings said. "Kids will show up to play, that's what you hope. It's tough because you're watching raindrops. You think you're in the clear and then another cell comes. It is what it is. It was a good game between two good teams." Perkins (4-2, 2-0 SBC Lake) was patient early and struck in the first inning. Braxden Martin drew a four-pitch walk before Talon Walton walked. Kash Koch followed with a run-scoring single with Walton taking third base on the play. Blake Parker followed with a sacrifice fly into short right field, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead. "The last two games, we scored in every inning," Blanton said. "I told them to continue that trend and the first inning we scored two runs. In a game like this, that's big. It eases everyone a little bit." Kash Koch took the offensive support and ran with it. The Pirates starting pitcher walked Sam Bollinger to start the bottom of the first inning, but younger brother Carter Koch threw Bollinger out trying to steal second. Kash Koch then retired the next nine batters, including seven by strikeout. "He had control of all of his pitches today," Blanton said. "That's the Kash we expect and we played good defense behind him. When he goes out there, we expect five, six, seven innings from him. He has the arm to do it and the endurance to do it. He's not going to get pulled out of the game. He won't let it happen." Bellevue (6-1, 2-0) threatened in the fourth inning after Koch got the first out. Drew Dennings walked before Ike Brown laced the Redmen's first hit of the day. Kash Koch then got a grounder on the infield and lineout to second to escape damage. "They were able to take advantage of some opportunities and we did not," coach Dennings said. "That's why we're down 3-0 at this point." Perkins tacked on that third run in the fifth inning. With one out, Bryce Davie beat out an infield single. He went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on Martin's sacrifice bunt and scored on Walton's single up the middle. Kash Koch finished with 12 strikeouts in six innings, throwing 97 pitches on the day. "We got off to a slow start," coach Dennings said. "Throwing the ball, we walked two in the first inning and that bit us in the butt. We should have been out of there, maybe at 0-0, or 1-0. We stayed right there and Blake (Sutherland) competed really well." Sutherland struck out eight, tossing 99 pitches in his six-plus innings of work for the Redmen. Bellevue is back in action Friday when it hosts Sandusky (3-3, 0-2). "It's a new day. You have to be ready to go," coach Dennings said. "We should be excited to come back out here. I don't think those guys felt like they put their best foot forward today. Perkins has something to do with that. They are a good team. "Hopefully we come out and play better and cleaner tomorrow." Perkins will host Norwalk (7-3, 1-0) on Friday. "I've told the guys all week we have to be ready to play," Blanton said. "It's a big week for us. We'll be ready tomorrow. Norwalk hasn't lost a conference game, either. We know what they have and they know what we have. It's going to be another battle."