GALION — The Tigers are back in the hunt for the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship.
No. 9 hitter Teanna Greter collected three hits and scored three runs and Galion completed the home-and-home sweep of Clear Fork with a 5-2 win Wednesday at Heise Park.
After some early-season struggles, Galion (11-3, 5-3) have found its footing recently. The Tigers, who lost a pair to Pleasant and coughed up a big lead in a loss to River Valley in the first two weeks of the season, knocked off the Colts (13-3, 6-2) 8-6 in eight innings on Tuesday.
“We came out early and lost a heart-breaker in 10 innings to Pleasant, then we went down to Pleasant … and went back and forth and lost that one 9-6,” Galion coach Doug Hunt said. “Then we scuffled in our first game with River Valley. We were up seven and couldn’t put it away.
“Since then we’ve been doing pretty decent. The conference is tough at the top. We feel like we’ve got to go out and get after it in order to have a chance.”
The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning stringing together four hits. Gabby Kaple and Nevaeh Clark knocked in runs and Greter, who bunted for a base hit earlier in the inning, scored on a wild pitch. Galion extended its lead to 4-0 in the fourth when Greter singled with one out and came around to score on a two-out opposite-field double by Nicole Thomas.
The Colts made it interesting in the top of the sixth, plating a pair of runs. Courtney Palmer doubled with one out and scored on Haylie Miller’s single to left. Miller would come around to score on a wild pitch.
The Tigers added an insurance run in the sixth. Greter singled with two out and scored on Kaple’s RBI double.
The Colts threatened again in the top of the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate with one out. Galion pitcher Madelyn Thomas induced a pop up and a groundout to end the threat.
“We had the tying run at the plate and that’s all you want is a chance,” Clear Fork coach Jeff Gottfried said. “It’s tough when you put yourself behind early like that. If it’s a one-run game it’s one thing, but when you’re down 4-0 it makes it a tough hill to climb.”
After opening the season with 13 straight wins, the Colts dropped their third game in three days. Clear Fork fell to Madison on Monday.
“They’re good teams we’re playing, that’s what we tell them. You can’t doubt yourselves and your ability,” Gottfried said. “Madison is good, Galion is good. We’re going to face nothing but good from here on out. That’s the way the schedule is set up.
“People don’t think we had a challenge the first three weeks, but we did. We’ve been playing well. Everybody’s going to have that moment in the season where it’s gut-check time. That’s where we’re at, but we’ll be fine.”
The Tigers, who returned everyone from last year’s district-championship team, have won nine straight.
“There’s room for improvement, for sure,” Hunt said. “We don’t want to be sitting here with three (conference) losses. We’re just looking to … take care of business.”
