By Mike Deak
InkFreeNews

AKRON – John Glenn saved its best for last.

Damion Kohler and Tippecanoe Valley gave up a late lead to John Glenn in a 6-3 defeat Wednesday night.

The Falcons strung together four runs in the top of the seventh to rally past Tippecanoe Valley, 6-3, Wednesday afternoon at Valley.

The season lid lifter for Tippecanoe Valley was moving along as briskly as the 16 mile-per-hour wind across the spacious baseball diamond. But a seventh inning flurry saw Glenn grind out four runs, the big blow a two-run single by Silas Kaser to put the Falcons up three.

Frankie Lizzi tied the game at three with a solid single to right after Colin Stephens and Brycen Hannah reached to start the frame. Hannah would beat a throw home on a roller to short to give Glenn the go-ahead run, which the Falcons would load the bases to set up Kaser’s knock.

The game, which sat scoreless after four innings, had Stephens start the scoring with a bomb over the scoreboard in left in the fifth.

Valley scored all of its runs in the bottom of the fifth. Damion Kohler doubled, followed by a walk to Payton Mills. Annikan Pettit then stepped to the dish and hit a rocket to right center that carried in the blustery wind over the Valley logo for a three-run shot, Pettit’s first career homer.

“He plays a lot of baseball, he’s been around baseball his whole life,” said Tippecanoe Valley skipper Jarred Littlejohn of Pettit. “His dad ran the youth league for years. He’s been around it. He plays all summer, it’s all he does with both tennis and baseball. As a sophomore I have a lot of trust in him.”

Joe Chrapliwy got one back for the Falcons with an RBI double in the sixth. A pair of solid defensive plays kept the score at 3-2, first by Owen Kirchenstien at short, making a nice pick and freeze move before getting the sure out at first to keep the runner at third. And with the bases loaded and two outs, it was Rex Kirchenstien’s turn, making a lunging catch to end the threat.

Rex Kirchenstien, however, would take the loss on the hill, giving up the four runs after coming in trying to notch the save. Hannah would get the win, striking out two in the bottom of the seventh and getting the final out on a lazy grounder to third.

“Early in the season we aren’t trying to overthrow right now,” Littlejohn explained, adding pitch count limits for Owen Kirchenstien, the starter, as well as his relief corps. “It just wasn’t one of his days (Rex Kirchenstien). He struggled finding the strike zone and his offspeed wasn’t there. It is what it is, and we’ll adjust and bounce back for the next one.”

Valley (0-1) had its Thursday home contest with Fairfield moved to April 19 and will next look for Littlejohn’s first coaching win on April 12 at Triton.