Ashden Turrill, right, of North Union attempts to apply a tag at the plate as a London runner slides across for the run. The Wildcats beat the Red Raiders 6-3 to take first place in the Central Buckeye Conference.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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The Wildcats of North Union were able to leap-frog over their Central Buckeye Conference competitor Benjamin Logan to take first place in the Mad River Division.
NU’s move into first place came 6-3 win over London on Thursday.
The Wildcats, sitting at 11-3 in the CBC, now hold a one-game lead over the Raiders, who sport a 10-3 record as the season winds down to a close.
The Wildcats started out in the hole on Thursday as the Red Raiders got out in front of NU pitcher Micah Orr .
London scored a pair of runs on four hits in the top of the initial inning.
The Wildcats responded with a run of their own in the home half of the frame.
NU made contact at the top of the lineup and worked Trevyn Feasel around the bases to score.
The Raiders stayed hot in the batter’s box as Orr struggled to find his off-speed pitch.
They drew an early walk and a stolen base put the runner in scoring position.
A solid hit to the outfield grass brought that runner around third for a play at the plate.
NU’s throw arrived at the dish a bit late as London took a 3-1 lead.
Despite the early three runs given up by Orr, NU coach Klarke Ransome was happy with the pitcher’s performance.
“From start to finish, Micah Orr threw pretty well at the beginning,” he said. “He struggled with his off speed, but was able to command the strike zone and threw strikes, which is all we need.”
The Wildcats stayed within striking distance with a run in the bottom of the second inning.
Ransome said his team was able to leg out some nice hits to keep the score tight.
“We were hitting the ball hard and picked up some nice infield hits,” he said. “That really helped us stay in it.”
Orr found himself in a fourth-inning jam with the bases loaded and one out.
A double play by Nick Reeder to Carson Newell and over to Anthony Padovano covering first kept the score line at 3-2.
“We have a pretty good fielding team and when the ball is in play, I trust my guys to make plays,” Ransome said.
The Wildcats pulled even in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI hit by Joel Krebehenne.
The offense continued during the bottom of the fifth when NU plated three runs to take a 6-3 lead.
A double by Ashden Turrill found the outfield fence to help bring in runs.
Zach Ahern took to the mound in the top of the sixth inning and was able to hold the Red Raiders at three runs for the save.
Ransome said his team was slow to wake up, but executed when they need to do for the victory.
“We kind of woke up towards the end and I thought we executed really well,” Ransome said. “At the plate we, did the little things right.”
The Wildcats are schedule to return to action today when they travel to Springfield Shawnee.
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