Cincinnati Steam

Cincinnati Steam Sink the Mariners

Beat Writer - Tony Brumfield
Celina, Oh. - As the evening began in Celina, Ohio the Cincinnati Steam were stretching their legs and working out the kinks after a two and a half hour trip to face the Grand Lake Mariners in only their second road contest of the season.

With game time around 7:15pm it didn’t take the Steam very long to loosen up. After going down quietly in the first, the Steam opened the flood gates in the 2^nd and the rest they say is history. Sophomore designated hitter Tommy Nurre (Miami University/St. Xavier) led off getting hit by a pitch by Grand Lake starter Creighton McCallum, the first of five hit Steam batters on the night. After a pop out to first base by 2^nd baseman Tony Kennedy (Ohio State University), Patrick Berndsen (Thomas More/Elder) blooped a single to left field. With runners on first and second, right fielder Ricky Betsch (Butler University/LaSalle) was literally knocked off his feet with a pitch that hit him in the shin, loading the bases with one out. Sophomore catcher Billy O’Conner (Indiana University/Elder) walked with the bases loaded to drive in the first run of the evening for the Steam. Freshman shortstop, Ryan Strausborger (Indiana State), became another victim getting nipped by a pitch to bring home another Cincinnati run. A wild pitch with Jason Cisper (Miami University/Moeller) up brings home the 3^rd run of the inning. Cisper then grounds into a fielder’s choice getting O’Conner caught in a run down on a contact play. With two outs and runners on first and third, Cisper breaks early from first, then Strausborger steals home giving the Steam a 4-0 lead. Brandon Besl, third baseman out of Ohio University and Oak Hills laces a double to right driving in Cisper making the score 5-0. Centerfielder Zach Hurley (Ohio State/Springboro) hit what potentially could have been the inning ending ground out but an overthrow by shortstop Michael Stalter let the inning continue for the Steam, this error allowed Besl to score making it 6-0. Now back to where it all started, Tommy Nurre, up for the second time in the inning ropes a double to right scoring Hurley and Nurre is stranded at 2^nd to end the inning with a strike out by Tony Kennedy. All tolled 7 runs on 3 hits, 1 error and 1 left on base after an inning and a half.

After the Mariners threatened in the bottom of the 2^nd with a lead off walk and a single up the middle off of Steam starter Matt Winterhalter (Northern Kentucky University/LaSalle), Winterhalter gets the next three Grand Lake hitters out to end the inning. The score after two full innings, Steam 7 and the Mariners 0.

The top of the third started off well for the Mariners, but quickly fell apart once again. Starting pitcher Creighton McCallum got lead off hitter Patrick Berndsen to fly out to left. Ricky Betsch then hit an infield single, Billy O’Conner then singled to right moving Betsch to 3^rd. With the top of the order up once again, Ryan Strausborger punched an 0-2 offering to right driving in Betsch with the 8^th run of the night and moving O’Conner to 2^nd. A wildpitch moved runners up to 2^nd and 3^rd and Jason Cisper singled to center plating two thus upping the score to 10-0. After a disasterous outing, McCallum is replaced by Dusty Hawk. He promptly threw one pitch and got Brandon Besl to hit into a 6-4-3 doubleplay to end the inning. The Steam got three runs on four hits to up their lead to 10-0.

In the bottom of the third Grand Lake threatens once again off starter Matt Winterhalter by scattering two singles and a walk amongst a ground out and flyout. With two outs and the bases loaded, designated hitter Michael Earley (University of Cincinnati) hits a grounder to 3^rd creating a force play to end the 3^rd.

The Steam looked to score once again in the top of the fourth after a lead off walk by Zach Hurley and a single by Tommy Nurre, but were stranded on the base paths. The Mariners were set down in order in the 4^th.

Cincinnati tallied one in the top of the 5^th when Billy O’Conner reached on a throwing error by the Mariners shortstop. With O’Conner on second, he advanced to third on a wild pitch. Strausborger struck out and Cisper grounded out scoring O’Conner with the 11^th run of the contest for the Steam.

Darren Sizemore comes in to relieve for starter Matt Winterhalter in the bottom of 5^th and sets the Mariners down in order. The Steam are retired quietly in the 6^th and 7^th. The Mariners plate their lone 2 runs off Sizemore in the 7^th with the benefit of two walks, a base hit and a double scoring those two runs. At the end of 7 the score is 11-2 in favor of the Steam.

Cincinnati begins another offensive barrage in the 8^th scoring six times, bringing eleven to the plate for the second time in the game. With one out, Hurley doubles to left center. He advanced to 3^rd on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch. After two more walks and two more hit batters, Tyler Schunk (Northern Kentucky University/Oak Hills) struck out, Strausborger and Cisper walked plating two more runs. Brandon Besl who led this inning off counts two more with a base hit. Totaling six runs on two hits with four walks and two hit batters.

After Sizemore went three innings in relief for the Steam, they hand the ball off to right hander Robert Sabo (Kent State/Middletown) who closes out the game for the Steam facing eight hitters striking out two in his two innings. The Steam raise their record to 4-1 and take over first place in the GLSCL, while Grand Lake falls to 1-4 early in the season. The Steam will take on Delaware, Friday at Ohio Wesleyan University at 5pm in a battle for first place in the league.

123 456 789 R H E

Cincinnati 073 010 060 17 11 0

Grand Lake 000 000 200 2 8 2

WP: Winterhalter (1-0) LP: McCallum (0-1)