Pointers take advantage of errors to upset Tigers

SOUTH POINT — They put erasers on the end of a pencil because you can make a mistake.

But in baseball, there are no erasers for mistakes.

South Point's Brayden Hanshaw

A couple of crucial errors led to three unearned runs including two in the seventh inning as the South Point Pointers edged the Ironton Fighting Tigers 3-2 on Monday in an Ohio Valley Conference game.

“Today we just made too many mistakes and it finally caught up with us in the last inning,” said Ironton coach John Hunt.

“I told the kids we now have no margin for error. But congratulations to South Point. They fought hard.”

Ironton (12-2, 9-1) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Bryson Kerns led off the game with a base hit and he went to second on an overthrow. He stole third base and scored on Braydon Baker’s ground out.

South Point (6-7, 6-4) got a run in the bottom of the first inning as Ethan Layne was hit by a pitch, Kolton Layman walked and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. Layne scored on a passed ball.

The Fighting Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.

Ian Ginger singled, stole second and scored on a one-out single by Tanner Kleinman.

But Ironton was unable to hold on as South Point got 2 more unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Caesyn Pope led off with a base hit and Ethan Laslo followed with a single. Owen Tabor hit into a force out at second base but the relay throw to first base went for an error as Layne scored the tying run.

Ryder Pratt was safe on an error but Carson Freeman struck out the next batter for the second out.

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But Layne singled to right field, scoring Tabor with the winning run.

“Consistency is the key. Minimizing mistakes is how you win this game,” said Hunt. “Today we just gave up way too many extra outs. You can’t do that and expect to win.”

Kleinman was 2-3 with an RBI, Ginger 2-3 Bryson Kerns 1-4 and Ethan Sutton was 1-2.

Freeman went 4.2 innings and was the tough-luck loser. He gave up three hits, no earned runs with five strikeouts and one walk.

Brayden Hanshaw worked the final two innings to get the win. He gave up one hit with no strikeouts or walks. Kolton Layman went the first five innings giving up five hits, two earned runs with six strikeouts and two walks.

Laslo was 1-2 with Layne and Pope 1-3 to account for the Pointers’ hits.

Ironton 100 100 0 = 2 6 2

South Point 100 000 2 = 3 3 1

Jacob Hughes, Carson Freeman (3) and Ethan Sutton, Jacob Hughes (3). Kolton Layman, Brayden Hanshaw (6) and Ethan Layne. W-Hanshaw (IP-2.0, H-1, R-0, K-0, BB-0). Layman (IP-5.0, H-5, R-2, ER-2, K-6, BB-2). L-Freeman (IP-4.2, H-3, R-2, ER-0, K-5, BB-1). Hughes (IP-2.0, H-0, R-1, ER-0, K-3, BB-2). Hitting-Ironton: Bryson Kerns 1-4, Ian Ginger 2-3, Tanner Kleinman 2-3 RBI, Ethan Sutton 1-2; South Point: Ethan Layne 1-3 RBI, Caesyn Pope 1-3, Ethan Laslo 1-2.