TL suffers first home loss

"The little things in this ball game made a big difference," Trinity Lutheran coach Bob Tabeling said after his baseball team lost 1-0 to Salem at Alf Snyder Field Tuesday afternoon.

The little things Tabeling was talking about was the team's inability to get the runners across the plate that ended the Cougars' eight-game home winning streak.

"We had so many chances to do the little things," Tabeling said. "We had opportunities with a runner on third base with less than two outs and didn't score that run. They (Lions) made two diving catches in  the seventh inning and saved a run. The little things they did in the inning they scored was just put the bat on the ball and it worked out for them.

"It didn't matter what we was doing, trying to bunt, stealing, or whatever it wasn't working out for us."

The Cougars had a chance in the fourth inning to make some noise as Ryan Schneider led off with a triple. Cameron Hensley picked up an infield single to put runners on first and third. Hensley got caught stealing for the first out, Zach Smith popped up to the pitcher and Bryce McCory grounded out to the shortstop to kill the threat.

Both teams went down in order in the fifth inning, but in the sixth inning, the Lions got three hits and scored their run.

"We didn't have any errors and played great defense," Tabeling said. "Sometimes you just come up on the short end."

Jonathan Cain started the game for the Cougars and took his first loss of the season to fall to 3-1. He gave up one run, on six hits, three walks and had one strikeout.

"Cain pitched a great game and did a good job of getting ahead," Tabeling said. "He had a couple of situations where he got into trouble but worked his way out of it. He threw great pitches and had a good defense behind him. Everybody was making plays and it was a big game for us.

"They are a 3A school and we wanted to compete with them and I thought we did."

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Smith hit a double down the third base line with one out. McCory followed him with a single to left. After Smith was caught in a run down for the second out, Jeffrey Pinnow hit a hard liner up the middle but the shortstop made a diving catch to end the game.

"He (Lions pitcher) didn't throw the ball hard, but his control of the outside made us work for it," Tabeling said. "It took us the first time through to realize he was throwing fastballs away. He was a good left handed pitcher and was throwing strikes."

The Cougars, 9-7, will play host to South Decatur Thursday for a make-up game.

Box Score

At Seymour
Salem 000   001   0-1     6     2
TLHS 000   000   0-0     5     0
TLHS hits: Tabeling, Schneider, Hensley, Smith, McCory. 2B: Smith; 3B: Schneider.
Pitching      I      R     H     W    K
Cain      7     1     6     3     1