Miami Trace defeats Tigers
McClain's Connor McCune leads off second base vs. Miami Trace. McCune was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate for the Tigers. (HCP Photos/Jim Jones)
The McClain varsity baseball team suffered a disappointing 12-1 loss Wednesday in Greenfield to the Miami Trace Panthers with both teams playing their third straight game in three days.
The Panthers got a sparkling pitching performance from senior Cole Little, who gave up just one run in going the distance on the hill.
Miami Trace scored one run in the first and added four more in the second on four hits to take the early 5-0 advantage.
The Tigers looked like they would do some damage and cut into that deficit in the bottom of the third when they loaded the bases with two outs but failed to score. McClain wasted another scoring opportunity in the fourth after Seth Wise and Conner McCune both singled but were left stranded on base.
Neither team scored in the fifth, but the Panthers blew the game open in the top of the sixth when they scored seven runs on four hits for a 12-0 lead.
The Tigers put together another rally in the bottom of the sixth when they loaded the bases again but were able to score just a single run while leaving three more runners stranded on base.
Connor McCune was McClain’s only bright spot offensively, where he was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. Andrew Potts was the hard-luck loser on the mound for the Tigers.
“Cole (Little) has pitched really well for us this year, being our number three pitcher,” Miami Trace head coach Rob Smith said. “He had back spasms before the game started, and we almost scratched him from the lineup, and for him to gut out a performance like that was really nice to see.
“I thought we started off the game really well scoring those five runs early, and we had a couple of chances to put the game away but went dead for a while and let Greenfield hang around.
“You could tell that playing three games in three days and the heat today really seemed to affect Greenfield,” Smith continued. “McClain looked a little flat and worn out today but when we play them again next week at our place, I expect we will see a different looking team.”
Miami Trace improves to 6-2 overall (2-1 FAC) while McClain drops to 5-5-1 overall and 0-3 in the FAC.
