After starting the spring season with a pair of wins to improve their record to 4-2 on the year, the Golden Eagles lost for the second time in as many days to USCAA No. 2 Cincinnati Clermont to fall to 4-10. This time out, KSU Tusc avoided being shutout but fell 19-2 in a single 9-inning game played at Conotton Valley High School.
Limited to just four hits on Friday the navy and gold fought hard at the plate and came up with eight hits on the day, led by Andrew Powell who went 2-3 with a double and a single while Joshua Leonard was 2-2 with two singles.
Just as they did in Friday's game, the Cougars scored 10 runs over the first four innings with four tallies in the top of the first, four more in the third and two in the fourth to take control of the game. Two KSU Tusc errors, two walks a hit-by-pitch and a double gave them an early 4-0 lead.
In the home half of the second, Brogan Burcher drew a base on balls and advanced to third on a Leonard line drive single into right field. Burcher crossed the plate with the Eagles first run on a ground out to third by Caleb Campbell, to cut UCC's early lead to 4-1.
Clermont went down in order in the second inning, which was the only inning they did not score a run. They added four runs in the third courtesy of a free pass, a homerun, three singles and a fielding error to make the score 8-1. A pair of singles and two walks later the lead was 10-1.
A solo homerun in the fifth and a four-run sixth pushed the visitors lead to 15-1, but the Eagles bats came alive as they threatened to score in the bottom of the inning.
Braydon Maine singled on a line drive to center and moved to second on a groundout. He took third on an infield single by Leonard and scored on a Steve Michniak single to deep short stop. A Campbell single into left loaded the bases with just one out, but the Cougars retired the next two Eagles batters by strikeout and a groundout with the score 15-2.
The Cougars clapped back with a four-run seventh inning to add some extra insurance to a 19-2 win shortened to seven innings by the 10-run rule.
Maine, Michniak, Campbell and Kyle Shockley all collected singles, with Michniak and Campbell each driving in a run for KSU Tusc, who will host Hocking College for an early afternoon doubleheader on Thursday, April 4th at TCCHS. First pitch is 1pm.
Scottie Sauernheimer fields a throw at second too late to catch a Clermont runner stealing second.
Caleb Salgado dives toward home plate to stop a Cougars runner from scoring.....
.....but Salgado's tag was just a little late on the play.
Joshua Leonard fields a bunt as a Clermont runner advances toward second.
(Photos by Rob Brindley)