Ada blanks Lima Senior in Spartans’ opener

HIGH SCHOOL

Baseball

Ada 2, Lima Senior 0

LIMA – Ada senior pitcher Roman Snyder kept Lima Senior off balance for the full seven innings.

The right-handed Snyder scattered just four base hits and struck out eight batters to help lead Ada to a 2-0 nonconference baseball victory over Lima Senior at Joe Bowers Field Wednesday night.

Snyder also led the Bulldogs at the plate, going 3 for 4.

It was the season opener for Lima Senior (0-1). For Ada (1-0), it was the second game of the season, but the first completed contest. Ada played Hardin Northern Monday, but the game was postponed and will be resumed at a later date.

Ada head coach Toby Smith has been preaching fundamentals to his team.

“What we’ve been teaching to these kids is that you don’t have to win the game, as much as you don’t have to lose it. You make sure they earn everything that they get,” Smith said. “We made a couple good plays when we needed to in the first inning, to get out of the first. And we had one pick-off at second base on a run down. There were little fundamental things that we know we must do well, if we’re going to beat teams of this quality.”

Ada did not commit an error Wednesday, while Lima Senior had two miscues.

Smith took over the Ada baseball program this spring, after coaching baseball for many seasons at West-Liberty Salem, Urbana, and Bellefontaine, where he compiled an overall record of 353-124 between those schools. Smith also is the head football coach at Ada.

Ada scored its two runs Wednesday on an infield single by Zach Neiswander in the top of the fourth, that enabled both Snyder and Spencer Wall (1 for 3) to score.

Smith said that once Snyder got late into Wednesday’s game (on the pitching mound), he wanted to see him through the rest of the way. There was a stretch from the end of the third inning to the top of the sixth, where Snyder retired eight consecutive batters.

“We were going to decide once he got past 75 (pitches), going into the seventh. … It didn’t matter at that point, so I let him stretch it out and finish it,” Smith said.

Lima Senior was led at the plate by shortstop Caiden Crawford, who went 3 for 3.

Junior left-hander Brandon Griffith worked all seven innings on the mound for the Spartans.

Griffith scattered seven base hits, while striking out 15, walking two and hitting a batter.

“When he (Griffith) comes out and throws, we have a chance to win any baseball game,” Lima Senior head coach Casey Reed said. “The kid has been our ace the past two years. This is his third year for us. He’s gone toe to toe with some of the best programs in the state.

“When we do the things that we are supposed to do behind him – play defense – we can win baseball games with him. He has a lot of potential, and he’s still trying to figure it out. We’re excited for him. But it just wasn’t the outcome we wanted today.”

Smith was happy to get out with a road win against the Spartans.

“When you can have days like this – it’s exciting for our program,” Smith said.

Otsego 12, Shawnee 2

OTSEGO — Shawnee’s Carder Dailey went 1 for 2 with a run and Derek Lyons and Tate Bender each drove in run.

Softball

Ada 9, Lima Senior 5

Ada’s Daicy Robinson went 3 for 3 with 2 doubles, a run and 3 RBI. Teammate Karley Wagner went 2 for 4 with with 2 RBI and a run scored and Tessa Griffith was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Jenna Basset drove in two runs. For Lima Senior, Matilda Nelson went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs and Emma Hipsher was 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Dakota Lewis and Tatum Twinnng each drove in runs.

Riverdale 9, Bath 6

DEGRAFF — Bath’s Ava Gibson went 2 for 3 with a home run, 2 runs and 2 RBI and Rachel Clark went 2 for 5 with an RBI. Olivai Armentrout was 2 for 4 wit a run and Elena Oliver went 1 for 4 with a a run and an RBI. Chloe Poling was 2 for 2 2ith a run.

Bluffton 9, Vanlue 5

VANLUE — Bluffton’s Olivia Hobensack went 2 for 4 with with 2 runs and VAnessa Cross was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run. Lauren Bassett and Hannah Davis each drove in two runs.