Ash Impressive In Jefferson County Win
Trending
CAMBRIDGE -- Runs will be at a premium early on in summer baseball action as batters get used to live pitching after an extended break due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. That's all right with Jefferson County 19A manager Anthony Pierro.
George Ash went 6 2/3 strong innings and Anthony Sinicropi recorded a four-pitch save as Jefferson County (3-0) defeated Cambridge (0-2) by a 2-1 count Tuesday in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader at sun-scorched City Park diamond.
"George did a really good job today. We're trying to get our pitchers up to about 75 pitches a game," Pierro said of Ash who delivered 77 offerings, with 52 in the strike zone. "Anthony came on and closed it out."
Jefferson County took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Zac Berger leadoff with a walk. Luke Zorne bunted him to second and he went to third on a groundout. With the count 0-2 on Aaron Ferguson, Cambridge starter Trent Valentine uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Berger to score.
It remained that way until the sixth as Ash, a former Edison performer who will be a freshman this fall at West Virginia Wesleyan, and Valentine, who played at Marietta College last spring, matched zeroes.
"It was a well-pitched game by both starters," Pierro noted.
Ash allowed a two-out infield single to Blade Barkley in the first but picked him off to end the inning. The righthander 10 of the next 11 batters he faced before Brock Valentine sliced a one-out double to left that got lost in the sun. However, Ash retired the next two batters to escape without any damage.
Jefferson County made it 2-0 in the sixth as Aiden Orr drew a leadoff base-on-balls. After Orr advanced to second and third on a wild pitches, Klay Cottis singled up the middle as Orr sped home.
Cambridge cut the margin in half in the bottom of the inning when it bunched half of its six hits. However, after making it 2-1 with one out and runners on first and third, an attempted suicide-squeeze backfired when the ball was popped up to Ash, who tossed to Andrew Kinney at third for the inning-ending double play.
The hosts also threatened in the bottom of the seventh as back-to-back singles with two outs chased Ash. Sinicropi struck out the next batter to end the game.
Clayton Criss had a pair of singles for Jefferson County.