Bat Pats Drop Games to South Warren and Daviess County.

  The Allen County-Scottsville Patriot baseball team dropped their first two games of the season last week with back-to-back defeats in play at the South Warren Spartan Classic at South Warren. Last Thursday, the Spartans used a 10-hit attack to down the Patriots 8-2. Friday, the Patriots dropped a 9-1 decision to Daviess County on a frigid Friday night.

The Patriots’ youth led the team offensively Thursday. Sophomores Brett Rippy, Cayden Ross, and Tristan Brooks each recorded two hits in the game. Freshman Owen Stamper also pounded two hits with junior Marcus Carter added a single in the game.

However, the Patriots struggled defensively. Junior Sheldon Peay gave up nine hits in three-and-two-thirds innings of work. Peay’s struggles led to seven South Warren runs as the Spartans took command of the game.

South Warren plated three runs in the home-half of the first inning after a pair of singles off the bats of Clay Nohel and Max Benningfield and doubles by Josh Vincent and A.J. Isable. The Spartans held the Patriots scoreless in the second and third innings before adding two more runs on a two-run homer by Kirtley Lawrence in the bottom of the fourth.

The Patriots plated two runs in the top of the fourth. After sophomore Aaron Howell reached base and junior Warren Bray walked, Rippy’s single loaded the bases. Ross followed with a double to plate Howell and Bray/ A Stamper strikeout and a pop out off the bat of Peay ended the Patriots’ threat in the inning.

South Warren countered with two more runs in their fourth. Hunter Evans’ two-out, two-run homer staked the hosts to a 7-2 lead. South’s final run would come in the bottom of the six.

AC-S would not threaten the rest of the way as the Patriot offense could not mount a serious attack off the East pitching. Defensively, the relief pitching of Jordan Charlton, Seth Davis, and Hunter Foster held the Spartans (2-0) to one run and one hit over the final two-and-a-third innings.

Friday, the Daviess County Panthers used an eight-hit game to post the win. The Panthers also limited AC-S to three-hits in the game.

Daviess County scored three runs in the home-half of the first inning. A walk by lead-off batter Kirk Liebert would be followed by a strikeout by Patriot starting pitcher Zack Ausbrooks. After a groundout, an AC-S error allowed the inning to continue and led to courtesy-runner Blake Baker scoring the game’s first run. Panther batter Cameron Nichols followed with a two-run homer to stake Daviess County to a 3-0 lead.

After a scoreless second, the Panthers added three more runs in their at bat in the third. A single and a walk were followed by a two RBI triple off the bat of Nolan Johnson. Two batters later, Liebert’s single plated Johnson as Daviess County opened a 6-0 lead.

In the home half of the fourth, a sacrifice fly gave Daviess County (2-0) their seventh run of the game. Later in the inning, Nichols would score from third on a passed ball giving the Panthers an 8-0 lead. An insurance run in the bottom of the sixth increased the lead to 9-0.

The Patriots’ lone run would come in their final at bat. After Rippy reached on a Daviess County error, Stamper also reached base on an error. Moments later, a ground out by Brooks led to Rippy scoring. Peay’ strikeout ended the game for the Patriots.

The Patriots’ lone hits in the game came off the bats of Brooks, Peay, and Bray. However, four Daviess County errors would allow Stamper, Ross, and Rippy to reach on errors with Brooks and Drew Meador reaching first base on fielder’s choice plays. The Patriots finished the game leaving 10 runners on base.

Two games into the season, Brooks leads the team in hitting at .375 with three hits in eight plate appearances. Rippy is batting .33 with Ross and Stamper hitting at a .286 clip.