Baseball Recap: Paint Valley Comes Up Short

Paint Valley extended their losing streak (dating back to last season) to nine on Saturday, dropping their season record down to 0-8 in the process. They fell 9-6 to the Fairfield Lions. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Bearcats of the 4-0 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2024.

As for Fairfield, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-5. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games.

For Fairfield's part, Blaine Fauber spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on eight hits.

At the plate, Fairfield let Zach Ahsaruk and Cameron Miller run wild. Ahsaruk got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI and one run, while Miller went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Fairfield is 2-1 when Miller posts two or more runs, but 3-4 otherwise. Zane Matthews was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.

Paint Valley didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 3-3 tie against Piketon on the 21st. As for Fairfield, they will host Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Blue Jays have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 12.33 runs per game on average), something the Lions will no doubt try to take advantage of.