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St. C. Defeats Barnesville

Photo by Seth Staskey St. Clairsville’s Drake Dobson winds up during a game against Barnesville Friday.

CAMBRIDGE — St. Clairsville and Barnesville did not play one another during the American Legion baseball regular season.

Post 159 in St. Clairsville has been one of the area’s more established programs, while Post 168 is a fledgling program in its first season.

The experience level showed at steamy Don Coss Field Friday afternoon in the opening round of the district tournament. Post 159 struck four times in the opening two innings and then eventually blew the game open route to a convincing 16-6 victory.

St. Clairsville, which is now 16-8, bounced back from its semi-final loss in the Beast of the East last Sunday with an offensive explosion that saw each spot in the batting order record at least one of a 19-hit attack against three Barnesville pitchers.

“We kind of did the same thing in the Beast where we put some runs up early, but we go flat for a little bit,” St. C. manager Mike Muklewicz said.

“We can’t do that. We’re trying to keep the kids up and with the same approach when its a scoreless game.”

St. Clairsville built a 4-0 lead in its first two trips to the plate. Despite its offense going relatively quiet for a couple of innings, the pitching of Martins Ferry product Drake Dobson was solid. He worked 6.1 innings before being lifted when he flirted with the mandatory pitch-count rule.

“Dobson threw a heck of a game,” Muklewicz said. “He was in command of both of his pitches. The kids are hitting well and that’s been a theme for us at the end of the seasons the last few summers.”

Barnesville got within 4-2 after four and the teams traded runs in the fifth. However, St. Clairsville fully blew the game open in the final two frames.

In the sixth, Post 159 sent nine to the plate, scoring five on five runs. Dobson had a triple in the inning. Catcher Jakob Jarvis also had a three-base hit. Kyle Storer — a senior to be at St. Clairsville — had a RBI single. Matt Busby also drove in a run when he reached on an error.

Dobson ignited the rally in the seventh with a single. Busby followed with a RBI triple and after two outs were recorded the floodgates opened once again. Two walks and a single by Storer and Jarvis resulted in two more runs. Jacob Johnson also drove in a run with a single.

St. Clairsville received two singles and a RBI from Mason Ramsay, a double, single and RBI from Kaden Blomquist; Jarvis finished with two triples and two singles. Johnson had a single and scored in the second. Dobson drove in Johnson with a single in the second.

“Early in the season, we were stranding some runners, but that’s not happening as much anymore,” Muklewicz said. “The kids are starting to realize with runners aboard, it’s not about the gap shot as much as it is about putting the ball in play and making things happen.”

Barnesville was led at the plate by Ayden Hannahs’ two singles. Aaron Marovich had a double and two singles. Brady Treherne had a single and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Zach Thompson, who suffered the mound loss, had a pair of RBI singles and produced a run with a groundout.

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