Vs. Ohio Bison 18O (6/23)
On the road against the Bisons on Tuesday, the Jr. Pioneers came out swinging in the first inning as Carter McLain grounded out to drive in Carson Anderson at the top of the inning for a 1 – 0 lead. After quickly dispatching the Bisons in the bottom of the inning, they popped back in the bottom of the second inning to grab two runs and flip the lead in their favor, 2 – 1. The Pioneers answered back in the top of the third with a pair of runs as a result of a single hit by Jake Ralph, which drove in Anderson and Wyatt Stapleton to lead again, 3 – 2. After loading the bases, a walk drove in Ralph to increase the lead to 4 – 2. The Bisons landed a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but still trailed 4 – 3. Zanesville stepped up in the top of the next inning to grab a run off a single by Brody Hammersley that brought home Aiden Reis, 5 – 3. Hammersley scored a forced run when Stapleton was walked a few at-bats later, 6 – 3. Likewise, Anderson was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat to drive home Brady Ventura to finalize the winning score at 7 – 3 as the Bison could not recover.
The Jr. Pioneers will host the Olentangy Baseball Club on Saturday for a doubleheader, with game one set to start at 11:30 AM.
Vs. Chillicothe Capitals (6/20)
In a doubleheader at Gant Municipal Stadium in Zanesville on Saturday, the Jr. Pioneers let one run slip by them in the top of the first inning, but answered back quickly with a run off a Reis single that allowed Anderson to score to tie the game 1 – 1. Zanesville grabbed the go-ahead run when Hammersley stepped up to the plate to drive a solo home run out of the park to win game one 2 – 1.
The Pioneers took control of game two right away with Ralph hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the first, 1 – 0. Chris Conley stepped up later in the inning to single to left field, bringing in Peyton Tichenor and Reis to lead 3 – 0 at the end of the first. The Capitals nabbed a run in the top of the next inning, but still trailed 3 – 1. Chillicothe landed another run at the top of the third, trailing still, 3 – 2. In the bottom of the inning, a ground out and a forced run popped the Jr Pioneers up to a 5 – 2 lead, followed by a grand slam by Slade Glaub to blast forward 9 – 2. The Capitals were not giving up. By the top of the fifth, they had bounced back to close the gap to just 9 – 6. A single by Glaub in the bottom of the fifth that drove in Conley, and an error that allowed Cayden Camphorst to score, brought the Pioneers’ lead to 11 – 6. Despite grabbing two more runs, the Capitals fell in game two 11 – 8 for a Pioneers clean sweep of the doubleheader.
Vs. Turn2 Blue Jays (6/18)
Hosting the Turn2 Blue Jays on Thursday in Zanesville, the Jr. Pioneers jumped out to a 1 – 0 lead in the first inning that was answered by the Blue Jays in the second with a flip of the lead 2 – 1, before tying up the game in the bottom of the inning, 2 – 2, and jumping back out to a 3 – 2 lead after three innings. But a five-run blowout by Turn2 in the top of the fourth inning sealed the game for them, and they eventually took an 8 – 4 win.
Vs. Bo Jackson Elite (6/16)
Facing the Elite on the road on Tuesday, the Pioneers held a 2 – 0 lead for the first two and a half innings before the hosts pumped out six runs in the bottom of the third to grab a lead that they never let go of, building up to a 13 – 6 victory over the visiting Zanesville team.
