The Calvary Lutheran Lions halted the California Pintos in the first inning and limited the damage in the second. The Lions weren't as fortunate the next time California came up to bat.
The Pintos plated nine runs in the third inning on their way to a 13-2 win in five innings against the Lions on Friday in the Calvary Lutheran/New Bloomfield Tournament at Calvary.
"There's always that one inning when things just pile on," Calvary Lutheran coach Rusty Bourg said. " If we can figure out a way to put the brakes on. Catch a fly ball, catch a ground ball, just little things like that."
The Lions did that for the most part in the other three innings the Pintos took their turn at the plate.
Catcher's interference, a walk and a single loaded the bases with two outs in the first before Kelton Sellars got a flyout to keep it scoreless.
A walk, two hit by pitches, a groundout and a four-base error on a fly ball to right field made it 4-0 Pintos in the second inning.
"At certain times of the day the sun is brutal," Bourg said. "Other than that the outfield played pretty decent."
But the Lions put a stop to the scoring with an infield popop and a pickoff at second base by Sellars.
"I want them to work at that," Bourg said of pickoffs. "We've gone to never trying to pick a guy off to now we're starting to let the runners know that we'll pick if we can. I like the aggression."
Calvary ran out of breaks in the third as the first eight Pintos reached base.
Trevor Myers made it 7-0 with a two-run double to deep right field and Gabe Bailey's grounder to left field for a single plated two more runs. After a sacrifice fly, Tagen Higgins slapped a single to right field for a pair of runs. A balk then made it 13-0.
The Lions got out of the inning when a throw by Sellars from center field led to a Pinto runner being tagged out at home plate on a double by Kaden Bax.
"He's a really good outfielder," Bourg said.
Alex Proctor relieved Sellars in the third and only allowed one hit and walked one while striking out two in 1 innings on the mound.
Myers earned the win for California, striking out three while giving up a pair of hits in three innings.
Calvary Lutheran got on the board in the fourth thanks to a leadoff single by Sellars followed by a stolen base and a bouncing single down the left-field line by Sam Hoff.
In the fifth, Garrett Johnson led off with a walk, advanced to second on a balk and scored when Proctor dropped a fly ball into left field for a single.
Five Lions recorded one hit.
Myers had a hit and three RBI for California. Higgins finished with two hits and two RBI and Bailey had a hit and two RBI.
California (8-4) will face New Bloomfield at noon today in the third-place game.
Calvary Lutheran (1-6) will play Belle at 10 a.m. today in the fifth-place game.
Battling it out for the championship at 2 p.m. will be St. Elizabeth (7-1), ranked No. 4 in Class 1, and Vienna (12-4), ranked No. 7 in Class 2.
All three games will be played at Calvary.