ST. CLAIRSVILLE - Visiting Richmond Post 740 discovered itself facing an early four-run deficit Thursday evening at St. Clairsville.
Coach Sam Davis' ball club methodically worked its way back to post a 6-4 victory at Memorial Park. The victory elevated Post 740 to 7-5 while St. Clairsville remains winless following 11 starts.
Richmond starter Alec Jones retired the first two Post 159 hitters in the bottom of the first before the hosts regrouped to collect six consecutive two-out singles, good for four runs and a 4-0 upperhand.
Jones, however, recovered nicely. He did not allow another run before Edison High teammate Chad Wickham entered in the seventh and worked out of a bases-loaded situation to record a save. Post 740's bats, meanwhile, came alive in the late innings after Jones jump-started the visitors with a fourth inning RBI double which plated Ty Yocom.
Still trailing 4-1 entering the sixth, Richmond struck for three runs to earn a 4-4 deadlock. Yocom, catcher Sammy Orr and rightfielder Zack Williams all came through with clutch run-producing doubles.
To start the seventh, Post 740's number nine hitter, third baseman Donavon Martin, delivered an opposite field triple to the right field fence.
After leftfielder Josh Pasek worked a base on balls, Wickham's ground ball out brought home Martin with the go-ahead run.
Pasek swiped second base and raced home on a Mark Smyth two-out single to center.
St. Clairsville would stage a threat in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with one out. But Wickham retired Tyler Strama on an infield popup, then finished the job as Cory Kotopka grounded sharply to Smyth at short who stepped on the second base bag, ending the game.
Richmond 6, St. Clairsville 4
Post 740 000 103 2 - 6 9 1
Post 159 400 000 0 - 4 12 1
RICHMOND: Jones (WP, 4K, 0BB), Wickham (7, 1K, 0 BB) and Orr; Jones D, rbi; Yocom D, rbi; Orr D, rbi; Williams D, rbi; Wickham rbi; Smyth S, rbi; Martin T, S.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE: Loweecy (LP, 7K, 2BB), Kotopka (7, 0K, 1BB) and McGrath; McMahan 3S; McGary 3S; Hayes S, 2rbi; Kotopka S, rbi; Westlake S, rbi.
