With timely hitting and strong pitching, the Lorain County Ironmen ended their four-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Hannibal Cavemen on Wednesday.

With the score tied at four in the eighth, Will Hodges and Evan Melendez drew walks and Matt McAllester got his second bunt single of the game to load the bases with no outs.

Stephen Hagen brought the go-ahead run home with a sacrifice fly to left. Tony Brunetti drove home his third run of the game on a fielder’s choice.

“I just wanted to get a good pitch to hit to the outfield and not hit into a double play,” said Hagen, who had three hits, including an RBI double.

A two-run lead was more than enough for closer Phil Brua, who retired the side in order for his sixth save of the year.

“It’s always easier when you’re up two runs instead of one,” he said.
“I changed my grip on my slider, and it was really working for me tonight.”

Brua is one save off the Prospect League lead and also owns the second lowest ERA (1.13) in the league.

“He comes from a small school over in Oberlin, but he could play for any team in the country,” manager Eric Cormell said. “He deserves a look at the next level.”

Relief pitcher Billy Urban got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh by getting Gardner Richey to ground out to third, forcing the runner out a home. Matt Burton flied out to deep center field to end the inning.

Urban (2-0) pitched three scoreless innings to pick up the win.

The ball was coming off the Ironmen (16-19 overall, 2-4 in the second half) bats sharply for most of the game. The top of the order did the most damage, as four singles brought home two runs in the first inning.

Melendez singled up the middle on the first pitch he saw. McAllester followed with a bunt single down the first base line and Hagen singled to left to load the bases with none out.

Nate Antone then brought Melendez home with a sacrifice fly to right.
Brunetti singled up the middle to score McAllester and give the Ironmen an early 2-1 lead.

“Offensively, we’ve hit the ball pretty well all year,” Cormell said.
“When you have good pitching and play solid defense, you’re going to win games. We had a few hiccups, but they didn’t hurt us.”

Ironmen starter Aaron Hilt went five innings and allowed four runs on six hits. The right-hander walked two and struck out three.

If not for a couple fielding mistakes, he would have stood to earn his first victory of the season.

The Cavemen (17-18, 3-3) scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning. Hodges, playing center field, misread a fly ball and let it drop with two outs, allowing Brooks Fiala to score from first.

In the third inning, another run for Hannibal crossed the plate from a fielding mistake. With the bases loaded and two outs, Hilt through an outside pitch that tipped off catcher Matt Wantz’s glove, letting L.J. Watson score from third.

Leadoff batter Jerry Hildreth led off the fifth inning with a double down the left field line, just past a diving Nick Hamilton at third. After stealing third, he scored on a wild pitch.

Later in the inning, Ryan Porter sent his fourth home run of the year about 390 feet over the right field wall to give his team a 4-2 lead.

Next on the schedule for the Ironmen is a home game against the Slippery Rock Sliders at 7:05 p.m.