Tigers hold off SH, need 1 win for GRC East title

Princeton hosts Maysville on Thursday; a Tiger victory would give them outright East crown, spot in next week’s overall GRC title game

PRESTON COLE

Princeton Post-Telegraph

BETHANY Princeton’s young but growing baseball team sometimes makes things a bit too interesting for their fan base.

But as long as the Tigers win, who cares, right?

The latest example came last Thursday (April 20) when the Grand River Conference East’s two unbeaten teams (in league play, anyway) met. The Tigers took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning, then held on as South Harrison scored two runs with no outs to take a 4-2 league victory.

Princeton’s (7-7, 5-0 GRC East) win set up a winnertake-all - at least for the Tigers - showdown at 5 p.m. today (Thursday, April 27) against Maysville (4-1 GRC) on Gentry Field. A Princeton victory would clinch the GRC East title and put the Tigers into the overall GRC championship game next Thursday (May 4) at the home of the East winner.

St. Joesph Christian (3-0 GRC West going into this week), Albany and Pattonsburg (both 2-1) have a shot to make a trip east next week.

Princeton got the jump on the host Bulldogs (3-9, 1-4 GRC) by getting a run in the top of the first inning, and the Tigers added single runs in the third, fourth and sixth frames for its 4-0 lead.

Starting pitcher Landon Krohn was masterful for the Tigers, throwing six innings of no-hit ball at the Bulldogs with four walks and 15 strikeouts.

Now, one could ask why Krohn didn’t pitch in the bottom of the seventh. The answer is simple - Missouri’s pitch count rule. As a junior, Krohn had a maximum of 105 pitcher for the game. He threw 103 pitches over his six full innings, which meant he could only face, at the most, two batters (once a pitcher hits his limit, he is allowed to complete the at-bat to the hitter he’s facing). More likely, Krohn would have faced one batter, since he averaged 4.3 pitches per batter.

So, Kelby Thomas came into the game and at first, was a bit shaky - he walked three Bull- dogs and hit a fourth, and the Tigers made an error as SH got two runs to cut their deficit in half at 4-2.

Then, Thomas righted the ship, striking out three straight batters to complete the combined no-hitter and end the game.

Krohn, Clay Evans and Thomas each got two hits, and Krohn hit a home run to pace the Tiger offense.

STATISTICS

OFFENSE: Hits: Logan Krohn

2, Clay Evans 2, Kelby Thomas

2, Gavin Power, Cooper Boxley, Talan Holt, Noel Schreffler. HR: Krohn. RBI: Krohn, Boxley. Runs scored: Krohn, Evans, Thomas, Holt. Walks: Evans, Evan Houck, Holt. Stolen bases: Boxley, Holt, Thomas. Hit by pitch: Thomas.

PITCHING: Krohn: 6 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 4 walks, 15 strikeouts; Thomas: 1 inning, 2 runs (1 earned), 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, 1 hit batter. Princeton 13, North Harrison 3 at Eagleville, April 18

The Tigers scored in all five innings, including five runs in the third when Krohn hit a solo home run and Thomas hit a 2-RBI shot. Power threw a complete game for Princeton.

OFFENSE: Hits: Thomas 2, Krohn, Evans, Holt, Boxley, Tyler