By Jacob Russell

NEWARK, Ohio - Cincinnati went up to Newark to play the Settlers in the final series of the regular season, and the first playoff game between these two sides looked as if it was ripped straight out of that series. 

Licking County, as they did in all three games of the last series, scored the first run of the game. In fact, they scored the first four runs and in each of the first five innings. 

Brock Nartker (Wright State), the Steam’s starting pitcher who finished the regular season with a 2-0 record and a 2.75 ERA, gave up those first four runs in his three-inning start. 

Turner Hill (Malone U) started the bottom of the first with a walk and eventually came home on an Andrew Eng (Binghamton U) sacrifice fly to center. The first three Settlers that went to the plate in the second getting on base allowed another sacrifice fly to center, this one off the bat of Nate Meyer (Cincinnati). 

After giving up an RBI double to Stephen Krause (Miami U) and walking home a run against Casimer Sobaszek (Mercyhurst U), Nartker’s start was done early. The losing pitcher allowed a total of four hits, struck out two and walked five.

The first sign of offense from Cincinnati was Gephry Pena’s (Central Florida) sacrifice fly to right that scored designated hitter Nathan Stolze (Miami) in the top of the fourth. 

Licking County’s starting pitcher, Griffin Miller (Dyersburg State CC), gave up that run after getting the third out of the previous inning with the bases loaded. Miller finished the regular season with a 1-4 record and a 5.30 ERA and finished Thursday night with four innings pitched, one earned run allowed on two hits, four strikeouts, five walks, and no decision. 

As you may have guessed by the headline, things weren’t any better for the Steam bullpen. Casey Grimm (Wright State Lake) gave up a two-run homer to the second batter he faced in the fourth inning, catcher Darius Diaz (Kennesaw State U). A second home run, this one a solo shot off the bat of Sam Wilson (Ohio State), put Grimm and Cincinnati behind 7-1 after five innings.

The score remained 7-1 until the seventh inning thanks to Jack Dungan’s (Eastern Michigan) scoreless sixth for Cincinnati. Chris Sparks (Otterbein), the winning pitcher, pitched a clean fifth and Tanner Griggs (Wittenberg U) got out of the sixth unscathed for the Settlers.

To put into perspective how much the Steam had their way with Ryan Lutz (Nova Southeastern U) in the top of the seventh, let’s just say his playoff ERA is now 108.00. After a scoring fielder’s choice and a run on an error by the center fielder, Warsaw Federal Player of the Game Eddie Rivero (Xavier) hit a two-run single to put Cincinnati within two. 

Rivero’s two RBIs were wiped away by Licking County’s two sacrifice runs in the bottom of the seventh off Dungan and Alex Firsdon (Iowa Western CC). One was unearned, but they both went on Dungan’s line.

The score was held at 9-5 by Dawson Sims (Carson-Newman U), who allowed only one hit and struck out two in two and two-thirds innings while securing the save.

Game two of this playoff series is Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Max McLeary Field. 

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