By Ray Sarvis
FPS Correspondent
The week started off well enough for Carrollton’s baseball team as the Warriors played – and swept – a home-and-away series against Eastern Buckeye Conference foe Alliance.
Then Carrollton suffered two heartbreaking losses back-to-back to put a damper on the week — first, an extra-innings loss to EBC rival Marlington in a rescheduled game, and then a walk-off loss to West Holmes.
First, the good news: The Warriors took care of business against Alliance. Playing at home against the Aviators on April 15, the Warriors capitalized on Alliance miscues to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Carrollton then padded its lead in the third inning as Hunter Allison launched a solo homer to center field before Jacob Whitmore added a two-run blast to left for a commanding 5-0 lead. After Alliance finally got on the board with one run in the top of the fifth and the Warriors added two more runs in the bottom of the inning, the score was 7-1 entering the sixth.
The Aviators took advantage of a hit batsman and two consecutive walks to load the bases with nobody out, igniting a six-run inning that tied the game at seven apiece. But Whitmore came through again for Carrollton, reaching base on a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth. He moved to second when Nevan Woods was hit by a pitch and advanced to third — and then scored — on an Alliance fielding error.
Isaac Husted, who came on in relief in the seventh inning, walked the first batter he faced but struck out the final two to preserve the 8-7 win.
The next day, the two teams met again, this time at Alliance. This game lacked the drama of the first contest as Carrollton’s Garrett Broadwater kept the Aviators in check, taking a shutout into the final inning of what would be an 8-1 victory.
Husted keyed the win, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. Brayden Swearingen was 1-for-3 with two runs scored, while Woods added a hit, a run scored and an RBI.
So far, so good. Then the Marlington game occurred on April 17. The visiting Warriors scored in the top of the first inning. With one out, James hit a hard grounder into right field that allowed Broadwater — who had reached base on an error — to score from second. Cooper Haun then singled to load the bases, and Whitmore followed with another single to drive in a run and give Carrollton a 2-0 lead.
Marlington’s Brock Woods managed to extricate himself from the jam without any further damage, and the Dukes struck back in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with one out after a double, a single and a walk. Marlington ended up scoring three runs on a single, an error and a sac fly to right field to take the lead.
The score remained 3-2 in favor of the Dukes until the top of the seventh, when Husted led off with a single and promptly stole second base. Two consecutive fly outs had the Warriors down to their last out with the tying run on second. James came through in the clutch with a single to center to score Husted and tie the game.
Neither team could get anything going until the bottom of the ninth, when the Dukes had runners at first and second with nobody out following consecutive singles. Marlington’s Dylan Heatherington then delivered a walk-off RBI single for the 4-3 win.
Carrollton lost despite out-hitting Marlington (6-4, 3-1) 11 to 9. James went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Broadwater led the Warriors with three hits. Husted started for Carrollton and gave up five hits and three runs — one earned — over seven innings, striking out four and walking four. Swearingen took the loss in relief, lasting one inning and surrendering one run on four hits for the Warriors, who fell to 3-1 in the EBC.
Carrollton then visited Millersburg to face West Holmes on Friday, April 18, for a nonconference contest and again lost a tough one as the Knights came from behind in the bottom of the seventh for an 11-10 triumph.
The Warriors trailed 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth but took the lead following a seven-run fifth inning powered by six singles — the last being a two-run drive to right field by Husted that scored two runs for a 9-5 advantage.
West Holmes cut the lead to one thanks to a three-run homer to center in the bottom of the fifth and tied the score the next inning on a bases-loaded walk.
In the top of the seventh inning, Jaden Murphy reached base for the Warriors on a two-out walk and then scored thanks to a West Holmes error to give Carrollton a brief 10-9 lead.
The Knights (5-5) promptly loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning after a batter was hit by a pitch and two walks were issued. The tying run was scored on a sac fly to center, and after another walk, West Holmes’ Carson Tanner drilled a walk-off single to center for the 11-10 victory.
Husted and James each went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored for Carrollton, which is now 7-4 on the season and 3-1 in EBC play.