The Lima Locos’ Connor Ashby fields a grounder during Saturday night’s game against the Michigan Monarchs at Simmons Field.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
The clutch hit never came.
After getting some big hits early in the season to record three one run victories, the Lima Locos failed to come up with the key hit and fell to Michigan, 6-4, Saturday night.
The Locos slip to 3-2 on the season and the Monarchs improve to 3-2 for the year.
Due to the possibility of rain, the Locos have rescheduled Sunday’s game to 7 p.m. Monday.
For the game the Locos stranded 11 base runners. Down 6-4 after six innings, the Locos placed the tying run at the plate in each of the last three frames but failed to get the necessary base knock to knot the score or take the lead.
“We had a bunch of base runners,” Locos skipper Chad Ehrnsberger said. “You have to give our guys credit for getting on base and then you have to give them credit for not letting us get that big hit. That is baseball. I haven’t seen the stats but I think we probably had more base runners than they did but you have to cross home plate to mean anything.
“We put ourselves in the position we just couldn’t get the big hit.”
Locos starter Jake Johnson, making his first appearance this season, took the loss after going three innings, walking five, surrendering four hits and four runs.
Despite the uneven start, Ehrnsberger was encouraged from what he saw from the former Ohio State hurler transferring to Northern Kentucky.
“This is the first time he (Jake) has started the game in a while so he was a little rusty,” Ehrnsberger said. “He walked some guys but he got some ground balls when he needed to but we couldn’t turn the double play. I think two of the first three innings he gave up two runs in each inning but I think in both innings if we turn the double play we get out of the inning.
Another bright spot on the pitching staff was the relief effort of Peyton Nelson who tossed five innings, gave up two unearned runs while striking out four and walking none. Kaden Arn threw the final frame, giving up one hit and striking out one while walking none.
“Nelson came in and did a great job and we knew he would,” Ehrnsberger said. “I was telling the guys all game, ‘we are going to hold them where we are at,’ we just need to score some runs.”
Offensively for the Locos, who trailed all game, scratched out runs in the second, fourth and two in the sixth.
Kolton Schaller, who plays for Kent State, went 1 for 3 with a home run, three runs scored and an RBI. He walked twice. Shortstop Colton Ashby went 2 for 5 with a run.
While coming up with the big hit proved to be a problem, errors also played a role in the loss as the Locos had three fielding miscues. On Friday, the Locos had seven.
Ehrnsberger understands that in the early part of the season it is going to be a roller coaster ride as he evaluates his players in the first part of the season.
“This early in the summer I am just trying to get everybody at-bats,” the Locos manager said. “I didn’t have any preconceived thoughts of the top nine coming in and the beginning of the summer I want to give everybody at-bats and we will see how everybody does and as the summer goes on we will be putting in those top nine guys and see what happens.
For the Monarchs, Zacarias Salinas went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI and Silas Butler went 3 for 5 with a run scored.
Dylan Eggl picked up the win, going five hits, surrendering two hits while walking six and striking out two.
Game summary
Monarchs 220 200 000 — 6 8 0
Locos 010 102 000 — 4 7 3
WP — Dylan Eggl; LP — Jake Johnson
2B: L. Underhill (L), C. Ashby (L).
HR: K. Schaller (L).
Reach Jose Nogueras at 567-242-0468.
