Solid pitching and defense abounded when the Lorain County Ironmen took on the Springfield Sliders last night. The Ironmen have four walk-off wins this season but couldn’t pull it off again, as the Sliders outlasted them 3-1 in 14 innings.

Springfield scored two runs in the top of the 14th when Trevor Willis hit a two-run single.

Extra innings could have been avoided, as the Ironmen had a runner on third with no outs in the ninth but could not score.

Nate Antone led off the inning with a four-pitch walk and advanced to third on a two wild pitches reliever Kendall Meyer. Mike Grieco next walked to put runners on the corners.

But the opportunity would go to waste when Will Hodges, Matt McAllester and Tony Brunetti grounded out to keep Antone at third.

Lorain County (8-14) left a runner on third again in the 13th, but Hodges popped out to short.

Ironmen starter Kris Hall pitched five innings with four walks and six strikeouts. He repeatedly got out of trouble, allowing 10 baserunners without one crossing the plate.

Hall gave up two extra base hits in the first inning but did not yield a run. Nick Judkins led off the game with a double to right-center field and was doubled off after a line drive to shortstop Nick Hamilton.

Willis followed with a triple down the right field line but was left stranded at third.

Hall loaded the bases with one out in the second inning but struck out Matt Giovinazzo and got Judkins to tap out to the catcher.

The bases were left loaded again in the fourth when Judkins struck out.

Brunetti led off the bottom of the eighth with a double to right and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Evan Melendez.

Springfield (9-11) starter Jason Farrell got Stephen Hagen to fly out to shallow right. Farrell then came in to strike out Hamilton to end the inning.

Hamilton scored the first run of the game for the Ironmen in the fourth inning. He reached on an infield single, advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Grieco.

Relievers Phil Brua, Brandon Cantrill, Brian Taricska and Jeff Kottar combined for six scoreless innings before the decisive 14th.

The Ironmen had already played in games lasting 13 and 15 innings so far this season, losing the first and winning the latter.

The Sliders scored off reliever Billy Urban in the eighth inning on a RBI double by Cody Coffman to make the score 1-1.

Farrell pitched into the eighth inning. The southpaw allowed one unearned run, six hits, two walks and stuck out one.

Notes

• The Ironmen added three new players to the roster: outfielder Justin Mackert (Westlake) of The Citadel and pitchers Brian Taricska (Bay Village) of Kent State and Jeff Kottar of Walsh University. Admiral King graduate Matt Toth has been released.

• Third baseman James DiBiasio has been placed on the disabled list.

• The Sliders and Ironmen are in fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the Eastern Division, trailing the Chillicothe Paints (16-5).

• Lorain County is off today and will take on Slippery Rock at The Pipe Yard tomorrow at 7:05 p.m.