GALION, Ohio — After opening the season with four consecutive losses, the Galion Graders were desperate for a spark.
Pitcher Will Ore and slugger Mark Delas provided it.
Orr struck out six and scattered five hits in 5.2 shutout innings and Delas had four hits as the Graders picked up their first ever Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League with an 8-2 victory over the previously unbeaten Cincinnati Steam on Tuesday at Galion’s James D. Heddleson Field at Heise Park.
“It was good to see some smiling faces in those mustard uniforms,” Graders manager Ray Neill said. “We were a frustrated team after Sunday (an 11-3 road loss to the Southern Ohio Copperheads). I told them all, ‘I know some of you want to get in individual work, but let’s take (Monday) off … Let’s clear our minds and come back here and get one Tuesday.’ ”
Scoring Early: The Graders (1-4) broke the ice in the second inning when Delas singled off Cincinnati starter Wes Noble, stole second and moved to third when the throw skipped into center field. The University of Toledo redshirt freshman scored on Alex Malinsky’s run-scoring groundout for the early 1-0 lead.
Adding On: Galion added single runs in the third on Colton Carney’s RBI single and the fourth on Brandon Wright’s run-scoring single before scoring a pair in the fifth. Malinsky drove in the first run on a suicide squeeze and Lexington product Brody Basilone drove in the second on a single to left-center for a 5-0 lead.
In Control: The five-run cushion was more than enough for Ore, a left-hander from Vero Beach Fla. and a junior at West Virginia State. He cruised through five innings before being lifted with two out in the sixth after suffering a foot injury.
“Our starting pitching was very good,” Neill said. “One thing we had addressed was when we were fortunate enough to go put a run on the board we needed some goose eggs after that and Will Ore did that three or four times tonight.
“He actually went out because of a blister on his foot just from pushing off. It actually wore a hole in his shoe. Ben Hamilton came on in relief of Ore and threw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. The right-hander gave up two hits and struck out two.
“Hamilton was very good for us tonight right after that.”
Big Blow: The Graders scored three times in the sixth for an 8-0 lead. Carney had an RBI fielders choice and Delas belted a two-run double.
“It was a great team win,” Delas said. “We were all craving that win and we finally got it. It all came together and everyone was hitting.”
Local Connection: Mitch McCristall, an Ontario graduate and sophomore pitcher for Mount Union, came on to work the ninth. He gave up two runs when center fielder Austin Adams, a Colonel Crawford graduate, slipped on a fly ball off the bat of Cincinnati’s Alex Corna.
“It must be the Ontario-Colonel Crawford rivalry,” McCristall joked. “I work (at Milliron Industries) so this is the first time I’ve been on the mound for this team.
“It feels pretty good to contribute to the first win in the team’s history.”
“It was a great team win,” Mark Delas said. “We were all craving that win and we finally got it. It all came together and everyone was hitting.”
