Titans hand Cyclones first baseball loss

 HARLAN (June 3) -- The high-scoring Harlan Community bats were finally silenced Monday at Jim Goeser Field as Lewis Central’s Drake Nettles and Easton Dermody combined on a four-hitter and the Titan baseball team held off the fifth-ranked (3A) Cyclones 3-1.
 After scoring at least eight runs in each of its first six games, HCHS (6-1, 4-1 H-10) managed just four singles and an unearned run off the Titans’ top two pitchers and wasted a golden opportunity to do some damage in the bottom of the fifth inning.
 With the score 3-1, Nettles walked the bases loaded with nobody out but was able to escape against the heart of the Cyclone order by inducing a pop-up by Joey Moser (second baseman Cael Malskeit made a great catch near the foul line), striking out Brett Sears and getting Luke Schaben on a ground ball to shortstop.
 Sears was called out on a check-swing third strike where the ball appeared and sounded like it glanced off the handle of the bat as he attempted to get out of the way of an inside pitch.
 The Cyclones would not have another base runner as Nettles finished with a 1-2-3 sixth and Dermody quickly struck out the side in the seventh for an impressive save. Nettles (3-0) issued four walks and struck out nine in six innings.
 “Monday was the first time this season that we were down early and had to battle back against one of the best pitchers we will face this year,” said HCHS head coach Steve Daeges. “I thought we did a good job of setting the table, but could not get the big hit with guys in scoring position. I thought we were a little flat early, but played very good defense from the first inning on.”
 Sears (2-1) took the loss for HCHS, laboring a bit during his five innings as LC did a good job of putting the ball in play. He allowed seven hits (two doubles) and two earned runs, striking out six, walking none and hitting two batters before Tyler Schaben worked a pair of scoreless frames in relief.
 HCHS scored its only run in the third when Riley Kohles hit a one-out single and scored with the help of two passed balls. Luke Schaben finished 2-for-3 at the plate, Isaiah Ahrenholtz added a single and Jon Owens drew a pair of walks.