Cincinnati Steam

Steam fall 5-0 to Grand Lake
Offense Continues to Struggle

Cincinnati went 1-for-20 at the plate in the final six innings and the Mariners broke open a 1-0 game with four runs in the eighth inning as Grand Lake defeated the Steam 5-0 Wednesday night at Jim Hoess Field at Westview Park. The loss snaps a six-game winning streak for the Steam against the Mariners and a four-game winning streak on the road versus Grand Lake. The Steam recorded five hits in the game and have collected just 15 hits in their last three games after notching 12 hits in the season opener.

Grand Lake starter Cal Bowling (Ball State) stymied the Steam (1-3) over 5.0 shutout innings for the victory. Bowling (1-0) allowed four hits and struck out three without a walk. He threw just 52 pitches, tossed two seven-pitch innings, and did not face more than four batters in any inning. Ryan Richter (Notre Dame), Chris Bassit (Akron), and Jordan Marker (Wright State) combined to toss 4.0 scoreless innings of relief to complete the shutout, with Marker striking out the final three batters of the game.

The Mariners (4-1) continued their stingy pitching on the season, lowering their team ERA to 1.50. Grand Lake has now allowed two runs or fewer in four straight games.

Matt Weber (Findlay) took the loss (0-1) in his first appearance for the Steam after tossing 2.1 innings of relief, allowing one earned run on three hits. Weber struck out four of the last six batters he faced. Mike Peterson (DePauw) followed Weber with 0.2 scoreless innings, but the Mariners got to Josh Keehan (Kentucky Wesleyan) in the eighth, plating four runs on four hits

Reece Asbury (Miami) started for the Steam and tossed 4.0 shutout innings, throwing 64 pitches (39 strikes). He allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out three. The Mariners stole four bases off of Asbury but stranded six runners in the four innings, including four in scoring position.

Brad Gschwind (Miami) went 1-for-3 with a double, his first hit of the season and the only extra base hit of the game for the Steam. Drew Schmidt (Xavier) had the only multi-hit game for the Steam, going 2-for-4. Schmidt and his Musketeer teammate Ryan Bellamy defeated two Grand Lake players in a cow-milking contest before the game at the ninth annual Farm Day at Westview Park.

Brian Lambert (Indiana) led all batters with three hits and Zach Tanner (Lincoln Trail) drove in two runs for the Mariners. Andrew Host (Iowa) stole two of Grand Lake’s six bases (in seven attempts) on the night, giving the Mariners 15 stolen bases in their first five games.

Both teams had two baserunners in the first inning, but neither could push across a run. Jon Edgington (Miami) led off the game with a single up the middle and Schmidt followed with a single of his own, but Schmidt’s was awarded when his high chopper up the middle hit Edgington in the back for an out. Groundouts by Travis Shaw (Kent State) and Ben Thomas (Xavier) ended the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Lambert led off with a double, his first of the year, and Tyler Rogers (Indiana) walked with two out, but Asbury induced a fly ball to right to end the threat.

Despite allowing five baserunners, Bowling held the Steam scoreless through three innings on just 31 pitches. He hit Cody Elliott (Ball State) and allowed a double to Gschwind in the second but still threw only seven pitches in the inning, benefiting from a double play ball off the bat of Trace Voshell (Ohio).

The Mariners mounted a threat in the third when Jeff Holm (Michigan State) and Michael Early (Indiana) singled with one out, but Asbury struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

Grand Lake broke the scoreless tie in the fifth with a run off of Weber, benefiting from a costly defensive mistake. With a runner on first base and one out, Early hit a sharp one-hopper to Tim Issler (Ball State) at third, but Issler bobbled the ball and was unable to turn the double play, settling for the out at first. Rogers followed with a triple over the head of Elliott in right, scoring Holm and giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead.

The Mariners broke the game open in the eighth off of Keehan. Early scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch with one out. Keehan then walked Matt Hill (Anderson) and Jeff Pacha (Iowa) followed with a hit-and-run single through the hole vacated by the shortstop Gschwind, putting runners on the corners with one out. John Bonvillian (Hillsdale) drove home Hill with a bunt single down the first base line, making the score 3-0. Keehan then struck out Gabe DeMarco (Illinois State), but Pacha stole third and Bonvillian took second on the pitch. Tanner followed with a two-run single to put the Mariners up 5-0 and round out the night’s scoring.

Cincinnati returns to action Thursday night at Western Hills High School with their first meeting against the GLSCL’s newest team, the Hamilton Joes, who are still seeking their first win as a member of the league. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Joey O’Gara (Indiana) will take the hill for the Steam against lefty Noah Mull (Wheeling Jesuit) of the Joes.