Coshocton hits way past Zanesville

ZANESVILLE - Conner Roahrig roped a double on the game's opening pitch.

Coshocton continued that aggressive approach throughout Friday's game, collecting 13 hits in a 6-4 win against host Zanesville in East Central Ohio League action at Jay Payton Field.

Roahrig, Devin Ryan and Logan Hough all collected three hits, and Talon Babcock chipped in two singles to lead the Redskins (13-7, 6-4).

"I told our guys to look for a good fastball early," Coshocton coach Scott Loomis said. "We only had seven hits in two wins against Meadowbrook, so we wanted to get the bats going early."

Zanesville coach Dave Balo credited Coshocton, but also applauded the effort of his freshman pitcher, Darrick Gibbons.

"They came out ready to go," Balo said. "Darrick kept his composure. He continued to throw strikes, and you can live with those hits when your pitcher is doing that."

Andrew Mason's RBI groundout in the first brought Roahrig home, and Roahrig scored in the third on Talon Babcock's RBI single for a 2-0 lead.

Coshocton starter Alex McPeak retired the first nine he faced before escaping trouble in the fourth. Braxton Snyder and Caden Mumaw opened the frame with back-to-back singles. However, McPeak induced a pair of fielder's choices before striking out Jackson Wright to end the Zanesville threat.

The Blue Devils (12-6, 8-4) got to McPeak in the fifth. Aaron Clark and Nik Moore each had one-out singles to load the bases before Snyder's two-run single tied the game.

The momentum was short-lived for Zanesville, as Coshocton answered with three in the sixth. Ryan opened the inning with a single, and Hough's single put runners at the corners. Brandon Filimon followed with a squeeze bunt to plate Ryan with the go-ahead run. Roahrig followed with a two-run single for a 5-2 lead.

"I always tell our guys we want to answer," Loomis said. "Usually, our goal is to get at least one. We were able to get three."

Coshocton's Jeremy Bresciani hit a RBI sac fly in the seventh, while Zanesville brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Chayce Lundell had a two-run single with two outs to cut the lead in half, but Wright grounded out to end the game.

Despite a rough sixth, Balo noted his team had other opportunities.

"Hindsight is 20-20. Roahrig had been a tough out, maybe we should have put him on after the passed ball," he said. "We had our chances, but they're a senior-laden team. I believe they're the best team in the league."

McPeak scattered nine hits with five strikeouts and one walk. His quick approach was key, Loomis said.

"He works fast and had a nice curveball," he said. "He makes batters uncomfortable and kept them off-balance."

Gibbons had two walks and two strikeouts in the complete game loss, while Mumaw went 3-for-4 and Snyder added two hits for the Blue Devils, who had a six-game winning streak snapped.

Now, both teams will use next week to prepare for the tournament.

"We're past moral victories here," Balo said. "We always look towards the tournament. Our goal is to be playing our best ball by the end of the regular season."

Loomis echoed those sentiments with five games remaining in the Redskins' regular season.

"We want to keep playing good baseball and enjoy our time together the rest of the way," he said.

bhannahs@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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Twitter: @brandonhannahs