ST. HENRY — After losing three close games the previous week, Fort Loramie closed out a strong week by hanging on to earn a close win on Saturday.

The Redskins, which are ranked No. 11 in the state coaches association Division IV poll, beat St. Henry 3-2 at Wally Post Athletic Complex.

Fort Loramie won its first eight games before losing to Russia (5-3), Anna (4-3) and Indian Lake (2-0) last week. The squad has won three straight since, including wins over Bethel (10-5) and St. Henry (7-8), which advanced to a D-IV state semifinal last season.

“It worked out today to be a good, competitive win for us, which we need,” Fort Loramie coach Jeff Sanders said.

Fort Loramie was scheduled to face St. Paris Graham on Thursday, but the game was canceled due to the Falcons being short on players. As a result, ace Maverick Grudich pitched against St. Henry.

Grudich gave up two runs (one earned) in the seventh, but he prevented any further damage by getting a pop out and ground out to end it and strand two runners.

“Maverick has always been real, real steady,” Sanders said. “He doesn’t waver. When things are kind of sticky out there, if a mistake gets made behind him, he stays true to the game, stays true to his focus, and gets the job done.”

Grudich gave up one earned run on seven hits and struck out five batters. He pitched a complete game in a 4-0 win over Bethel in the second game of the Fort Loramie Classic last Saturday; he gave up three hits and walked three batters while striking out three.

Grudich, who plays at short stop when he doesn’t pitch, is the squad’s leadoff hitter. He was 1 for 4 with 1 RBI and one run on Saturday.

“With him on the mound, we’re a really, really good team, because he does everything you need him to do as a bulldog pitcher and a leader,” Sanders said.

Senior third baseman Roger Hoying and junior infielder Thomas Hoying, who plays at short stop when Grudich is on the mound, were at the top of the lineup on Saturday along with freshman Dylan Meyer. Sanders said all have had strong games, as well as freshman second baseman Lucas Brandewie.

Brandewie was 2 for 3 on Saturday.

“Even though he didn’t drive in any runs, he was able to get to hits, which kind of breaks the seal a little bit,” Sanders said. “A freshman getting two hits today, that kind of relaxes every one and makes them say, ‘Okay, we can do this.’

“… He’s not afraid to swing the bat. He gets up there and is not timid. He has productive at-bats.”

Fort Loramie has a busy week scheduled, with five being on the road. The squad is scheduled to travel to Jackson Center and Fairlawn on Monday and Tuesday for Shelby County Athletic League games and to travel to Greenville on Thursday and Marion Local on Friday for nonleague games.

It will be the second to last week of regular-season play. Sanders said a goal as postseason play nears is to improve consistency at the plate.

“Our offense is still a work in progress,” Sanders said. “We go through phases where we have at-bats that don’t generate us any productivity. We’re trying to get to a point where we have productive at-bats, just make something happen. A walk, put the ball in play to create an error, get hit by a pitch. We’re getting there.

“We’ve tweaked the lineup a few times already this year. We just have to have productivity consistently; we don’t necessarily need a hit, just have a productive at-bat. The times we’ve lost are times we didn’t quite get the big bunt or something at the plate happened that didn’t go our way.”

Fort Loramie had productive at-bats late on Saturday.

Grudich reached on an error after a bunt with one out in the sixth. He stole second with two outs and reached third on a throwing error on the steal. Thomas Hoying drew a walk, then Meyer had a long at-bat, during which Grudich scored on a balk by St. Henry pitcher David Clune.

Levi Gephart hit a double to left with one out in the seventh, and with two outs, Aiden Bolin drew a walk. Will Hoying hit a hard infielder grounder and reached on an error, which allowed a run to score. After St. Henry brought in a relief pitcher, Grudich drove in a run with a hard ground ball single to left.

St. Henry had three hits in the bottom of the seventh, and a fielding error helped keep the inning alive. But Grudich coaxed two routine outs to strand two runners and end it.

Clune pitched 6 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and three walks while striking out five batters.

“He is a nice pitcher,” Sanders said. “He fired the zone with strikes and mixed in his curve. It was not going to be easy for us today.

“… It’s a good, gritty effort, because it was a tight game the whole way and nothing was breaking free for us. We had a guy on first and we tried to run and got caught stealing, we put down a bunt or two and that didn’t work out. But we stayed gritty, stayed in the game, and fortunately things broke loose and we got an opportunity.”

Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.