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Drake Dobson, Martins Ferry Take Down Bellaire

Senior pitcher strikes out eight for Purple Riders

Photo by Seth Staskey Martins Ferry’s Dasyn Hores rounds third base en route to scoring his team’s second run during the fifth inning of Tuesday’s game against Bellaire.

NEFFS — The Martins Ferry Purple Riders had to wait one day longer than originally planned to open their 2019 baseball season.

The wait proved to be worth it.

Behind strong pitching from senior ace Drake Dobson, solid defense and enough offense, the Purple Riders posted a 9-2 victory against Bellaire Tuesday at sun-drenched John Blacker Field.

“Drake’s our guy and he was just about as good as advertised,” Martins Ferry coach Anthony Reasbeck said.

“I am really proud of him and how he’s grown up and matured (on the mound). He really settled in and pitched well.”

Dobson didn’t need many runs with the way he was dealing. Continually working ahead in the count and changing speeds allowed him to have Big Reds hitters off balance all game long. Dobson finished with eight strikeouts and two walks. Much to his chagrin, he didn’t pitch the seventh because of the margin and a climbing pitch count.

“I would have been mad at (Dobson) if he hadn’t been mad at me for taking him out,” Reasbeck said. “I am proud of him. He has to be the man for us (on the mound) and (Tuesday) he was.”

The Purple Riders, who struck for an unearned run in the first inning, found themselves tied at one after four.

Finally, the Ferry bats, which had been limited by Bellaire starting pitcher Cole Porter, came to life after the Big Reds went to their bullpen.

Junior Dasyn Hores drew a two-out walk and then a couple of pitches later came all the way around from first when classmate Jacob Probst ripped a double to the right-center gap.

Dobson made that lead stand up. He sat the Big Reds down in order for the third time in five innings in the bottom of the fifth and then worked around a one-out walk in the sixth.

“(Dobson) threw a great game for (Ferry),” Bellaire coach John Patrone said. “We just haven’t gotten the bats going. We told the kids that for six innings this was a ballgame, but the wheels came off at the end. We made some improvements, but we have a long way to go.”

The Purple Riders blew the game open in the seventh when they sent 13 to the plate, pounded out six hits and scored seven runs.

Probst and Trevor Hanson both had two-run doubles in the frame. Mason Goddard, Sabin Ward and Logan Smith each had a RBI single in the inning.

“I think we’re a heck of an offensive baseball team because we have some guys who can really hit the baseball,” Reasbeck said. “The top four in our lineup are pretty good. The big thing for us (this season) will be pitching and catching it.”

Freshman Colby Shriver worked the seventh for the Riders.

Bellaire, which is now 0-2, got an RBI double from Vince Patrone and a run-scoring single from Quentin Baker.

The same two teams will meet at the same venue today with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m.

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