CHILLICOTHE — The Green Bobcats battled indeed in a good baseball game last Wednesday against the Whiteoak Wildcats. Whiteoak came out on top, 1-0.
All the Division IV stronghold Wildcats needed was one run — as Izayah Clift crafted a complete-game two-hit, no-walk, 10-strikeout shutout.
The game’s only run came in the bottom of the fifth — when Whiteoak’s Zander Roades roped a two-out double, and Kaden Moon-Stone scored him on the next at-bat with a triple.
Roades and Moon-Stone singled as well —accounting for all four Wildcat hits.
The Bobcats had just two hits, one apiece by Blake Smith and Quincy Merill, in a non-league bout at Chillicothe’s VA Memorial Stadium.
Clift kept the Bobcats off the bases — aside from Merrill’s single, and Smith tripling plus being hit by a pitch.
Clift struck out 10 of the 24 Green batters he faced, as 61 of his 78 pitches went for strikes.
The game spanned a quick hour and 23 minutes, as the Bobcats stranded three in falling to 5-2.
Whiteoak, despite one error, raised its record to 9-1.
Nathaniel Brannigan started and was the tough-luck losing pitcher, working the opening five innings — and allowing all four Wildcat hits with three walks.
He struck out five, as Landon Kimbler pitched the sixth and struck out one.
Brannigan faced 21 of the 24 Wildcats which batted.
Brannigan and Kimbler combined to strand five Wildcat runners.
