COAL GROVE — Working the pitch count can be highly effective for a team as long as a unit's approach remains consistent.
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From the top of the order to the bottom of the lineup, the Minford Falcons' baseball program's plate discipline and approach gave the Coal Grove Hornets' baseball program fits on Tuesday evening in a nonconference contest, as Minford collected nine hits, drew eight walks and got a seven-strikeout performance from Mason Bradley on the mound as the Falcons claimed a 16-2 win over the Hornets in a five-inning mercy-rule at Coal Grove High School.
For Minford head coach Eli Daniels, the Falcons' consistency at the plate helped lead the entire order to crooked frames later in the contest, as evidenced by Minford's six-run third inning as well as its seven-run fourth.
"The bats came alive in the third and fourth innings," Daniels said. "We stacked some quality at-bats on top of each other, and when you do that, you'll score some runs. We put some stress on the defense, they made some mistakes, and we capitalized on those mistakes."
From the outset, Minford capitalized early on its opportunities. Falcon standout and future Shawnee State talent Ty Borland shot a two-out triple to center field, and cleanup hitter Carter Frazie followed with his own extra base hit — an RBI double to center — to drive in Borland and push the lead to a 1-0 margin after an inning of play.
Coal Grove answered in the bottom of the second inning by evening the game at one apiece following an error, but that proved to be as close as the Hornets would get to building up any sort of momentum the rest of the way.
In the top of the third inning, Minford sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run frame. Curtis Glenn got the run going by legging out a bunt single, while Max Lauder followed with an opposite field base knock that ultimately allowed Glenn to score and Lauder to advance to second base after an error in the outfield.
Borland then came back up and notched an RBI base knock to left field to push the score to 3-1. Walks by Frazie, Colby Mullins, Mark Napier and Colt Donahoe along with a two-run error turned the 1-1 ballgame into a 7-1 Minford lead.
The Falcons' top of the order, led by Lauder, Bradley, Borland and Frazie, ultimately went 6-for-13 with a triple, two doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored between them.
Curtis Glenn helped ignite the offense at the bottom of the order from the nine-hole by going 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and two runs scored to boot.
"Our top of the order got us going, Ty Borland, especially," Daniels said. "Ty was hitting the ball well from the first pitch that he saw. He was putting some shots on it. He had a great day. Top of the order was solid all the way through. At the bottom of the order, Curt came through big for us and had some clutch hits and big RBI there at the bottom."
While Minford's hitting order proved to be plently productive, Bradley was just as stout on the hill. Getting the start Tuesday evening, No. 21 struck out seven batters in three innings of work to lead the Falcons in the contest.
"Mason threw a gem out there," Daniels said. "He shut them down for three innings straight. He filled the zone up and when they did hit it, we fielded the ball pretty well for the most part."
Bradley, who gave way on the mound to Minford's Jacob Vititoe in the fourth inning with the Falcons holding a comfortable lead, started the seven-run inning with a leadoff double.
An error, a sacrifice fly RBI from Frazie, two free passes by Napier and Donahoe and an error pushed Minford's lead to a 10-1 margin. Glenn's two-RBI single, another RBI base knock by Lauder, and a wild pitch accounted for the remaining damage as the Falcons took a 14-1 lead.
Colton Frazie added in an RBI single while a wild pitch helped finalize the scoring on Minford's side in the fifth frame.
"We focused on having a good approach at the plate and sticking to that approach," Daniels said. "We've told them, 'Look for your pitch. When your pitch comes, that's when we do our damage.' They stuck to it (on Tuesday), and the proof was on the scoreboard."
With the win, Minford improved to 3-0 on the year. The Falcons, who have outscored South Point, Gallia Academy and Coal Grove by a 28-4 margin to start the season, play rival Oak Hill Tuesday evening.
"We've had solid defense and solid pitching throughout," Daniels said. "The bats came alive (on Tuesday). We're a good team, and we're working to be a great team right now."