FORT LORAMIE — After a rough first inning, Fort Loramie regrouped and beat Anna 5-3 in a Shelby County Athletic League game on Thursday.
It was a big SCAL victory for Fort Loramie (7-7, 4-1). The Redskins, Anna (8-3, 4-1) and Russia (10-4, 5-1) each have one league loss apiece after Thursday’s games. Russia lost 8-5 to the Rockets on April 10 in Anna.
The Rockets got off to a good start on Thursday.
Taylor Poeppelman led off the game with a ground ball single to second base, then Liz Staudter drew a walk. Brenna Cobb then hit a double to short stop to drive in one run, then another scored on an error to give Anna a 2-0 lead.
Cobb advanced to third on the error, then Brooke Pettus hit an infield ground out to push across Cobb and give the Rockets a 3-0 lead. But Kate Ruhenkamp coaxed a pop out for the second out, then struck out Anna’s Taylor Dye to end the inning.
The Redskins responded in the second. Jaden Rose drew a walk, then Carlie Goubeaux hit a two-strike home run to left field to pull Fort Loramie within 3-2.
Fort Loramie took control in the third. Laney Barhorst drew a walk, then Autumn Turner hit a hard ground ball to center field for a single. Aubrey Turner then hit a three-run home run to right field to give Fort Loramie a 5-3 lead.
Poeppelman hit a single with one out in the fifth and stole second and third, but Ruhenkamp coaxed a line out and a fly out to get out of the inning.
The Rockets stranded one runner in the sixth and went down in order in the seventh.
Ruhenkamp picked up the win in the circle. She pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out eight batters. Claire Hoying pitched 1 2/3 innings and gave up two hits.
Autumn Turner was 2 for 4. Rose and Hoying were each 1 for 2 with one walk.
Bree Metzler was charged with the loss for Anna. She pitched six innings and gave up five earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four batters.
Cobb was 2 for 3 while Poeppelman was 2 for 4.
Fort Loramie is scheduled to host its Redskin Invitational on Saturday with Parkway, Springfield Shawnee and Franklin-Monroe. The squad is scheduled to travel to Botkins on April 24.
Anna, which beat Fort Loramie 10-9 on March 27, was scheduled to travel to Allen East on Friday. The squad is scheduled to host Jackson Center for an SCAL game on Monday.
Sidney showing signs of improvement
After a rough first four games, Sidney has been more competitive in April. The Yellow Jackets are 3-4 over their last seven games.
Sidney played Piqua to a 10-7 loss on April 3 after having lost to the Indians 23-8 on March 29. They then beat Stebbins 19-1 and 9-4 in the span of three days.
The squad lost 7-6 to Vandalia-Butler on April 10, then lost 17-10 the following day in extra innings. The Aviators exploded for 10 runs in the eighth to break a 7-7 tie.
Sidney (3-8, 3-6 MVL Valley Division) beat Xenia 2-1 last Friday and lost 12-6 at Troy on Tuesday.
Sidney sophomore center fielder Kelis McNeal has hit an MVL-best six home runs and has a .500 batting average and .629 on-base percentage. She also has a team-high seven stolen bases.
Riverside in Three Rivers Conference hunt
Riverside is one of three Three Rivers Conference teams with one loss. The Pirates (9-4, 6-1 TRC), Milton-Union (11-5, 8-1), Covington (14-2, 7-1) and Miami East (6-5, 5-2) are in contention.
Riverside senior Alaina Snow is having a strong season. She has a 1.29 ERA in 59 2/3 innings of work and has struck out 100 batters. She also has a .452 batting average with a team-high 14 RBIs. Senior Jade Copas ranks among the TRC’s best with a .511 batting average; she has 14 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
Lehman Catholic is 2-7 in TRC play.
Contact Bryant Billing at (937) 538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.
