Early lead isn’t enough for Trojan baseball

 

By Eric Wilson
eric@hometowngirard.com

The Girard Trojan Baseball team was defeated by the Columbus Titans 3-2 Thursday in the 4A DII Regional Baseball Tournament. The loss marked the end of the season for the Trojans.
Senior Garrett Bailey took the mound for Girard with a strong start, not allowing a hit in the first two innings.
However, the Titans got on the board in the third inning. An infield single knocked in a run for Columbus. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Bailey pulled a smooth pick-off move to get the runner at third out and end the inning.
Tanner Stout answered for the Trojans with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Stout drove in Ethan Goff off of an error from the Columbus second baseman, making the score 1-1.
With the very next at-bat, Teddy Paoni made sure to put the ball in play. The Titans could not handle a hard hit ground ball and rushed their throw, overthrowing first base. Stout advanced home, showing pristine base running instincts. The Trojans now had the lead 2-1 at the end of the third.
The deadlock did not last long, however. In the top of the fourth, a double to center field brought home two Titan runners to make the score 3-2.
Girard could never trim this lead, despite efforts in the seventh.
In the last inning, after a Stout groundout, Paoni hit an infield single to get on base, but he didn’t stop there. After another Titan error, Paoni rounded second and ended up at third. The Trojans now had a runner in scoring position with only one out.
Garrett Barnaby was unable to reach first after a long at-bat, making it two outs. The pressure was now on junior Jake Bennett. Bennett fought off many foul balls and eventually worked the count to 3-2. He used a keen eye to watch ball four and advanced to first.
Tyler Green was the next up to bat. Green put the ball into play but hit it into an unlucky spot, grounding out to end the game.
Bailey pitched the entire game for Girard, recording eight strikeouts and allowing three runs in seven innings.
The loss dropped the Trojans’ record to 8-13 on the year. Next year’s team will lose a strong core of seniors: Cody Russell, Teddy Paoni, Bailey Crapson, Tanner Stout, Kross Hamblin, Caleb Thurman, Garrett Barnaby, Garrett Bailey and Tyler Green.
However, Girard in coach Steve Beaver’s second season is sure to come out competitive as ever, with a large number of players returning with varsity experience, hungry for a deep playoff run.