By Jacob Russell

CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Steam put back together all three phases of the game Friday night to end the losing streak that cost them the top spot in the GLSCL South. 

Control had been an issue for Cincinnati’s pitching staff, but none of their six walks in game one against the Jazz resulted in a run. Before this stellar combined pitching performance, the team’s last two shutouts were the June 21 doubleheader against the St. Clair Green Giants. 

Brock Nartker’s (Wright State) second consecutive scoreless start against Richmond allowed his team to take an early lead, a rare sight in recent games. Nartker, whose record and ERA improved to 2-0 and 2.10, gave up only three hits while striking out two and walking four in four and one-third innings. 

During their five-game skid, the Steam failed to score more than five runs in a single game. First baseman Eddie Pursinger (Dayton) broke his slump, which had dropped his batting average 35 points since his last start against the Jazz on July 3, and scored the first of his team’s six runs with a solo homer in the bottom of the second inning. 

Tyler Wardwell, the newest member of Miami University’s baseball program, had an RBI infield single in the third inning that scored Griffin Merritt (Cincinnati), one of two Warsaw Federal Players of the Game. The other Warsaw Federal Player of the Game, right fielder Grant Richardson (Indiana), used a sacrifice fly to right to end the first half of Cincinnati’s scoring the following inning.

Richmond starting pitcher Eric Roberts (Evansville) pitched a quality start but had no run support. Roberts, who is now 2-2 with this loss, gave up six hits and three runs (two earned), struck out three and walked two in six innings.

Southpaw Nick Byrnes (Ohio) held the Steam’s lead in the middle innings by allowing only two hits and striking out five in two and two-thirds innings. Lucas Sherriff (Wright State Lake) improved his ERA on the summer by nearly five runs when he kept the Jazz at bay in the eighth inning with two strikeouts of his own. 

The first reliever used by Richmond, lefty Joshua Lee (Indiana Tech), couldn’t match the performance of the home team’s bullpen. Lee got away with walking the first two batters in the seventh but allowed three earned runs in the eighth.

Richardson’s single to center fell between three Jazz fielders and gave him his second and third RBIs of the night. The next batter, Merritt, got Cincinnati over their hump by knocking in the sixth run using his third hit of the day.

Every fan in attendance got a voucher for free Champions Grille nachos when lefty Jonathan Brus (Dayton) finished the shutout with the Steam’s tenth strikeout of the night.

After handing the Scouts three runs on four errors in the previous game, Cincinnati committed no errors for the first time since July 3. 

Our probable starter for Saturday night’s 7:05 p.m. home game is Northern Kentucky’s Jared Flueck (2-2, 4.08 ERA). Southern Indiana’s Jordan Menfee (2-1, 5.94 ERA) is projected to start at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday in Richmond. 

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