After Cardington’s 6-3 baseball win over Mount Gilead Thursday evening, both teams’ coaches were in agreement on one thing: It was good to be back on the field and playing games.

With the tournament draw and postseason both imminent, neither team had been able to gain momentum due to rainy weather. Mount Gilead’s previous game had been on Saturday; meanwhile, the Pirates hadn’t gotten on their field in over a week, with their last game taking place the previous Wednesday.

“It was good to get outside today,” said MG coach Mark Kennon. “We’ve been in the gym a couple days, so it was nice to get back out today and play baseball.”

Pirate coach Ryan Goetzman noted that his players did a good job of maintaining their focus during their unexpected eight-day hiatus.

“They guys did a really good job the last week,” he said. “Getting in the gym can be boring. It’s really easy to give in when you’re in the gym, but our guys didn’t do that and it showed tonight. They stayed at it, they got practice, they got their work in. They did all that good stuff and it paid off. It’s not your ideal situation a week and a half out (of the playoffs) to be in the gym for eight days, but we made the most of it.”

Neither team could get much going in the first two innings, but the Indians were able to strike in the top of the third. Starting pitcher Cole Fricke helped his cause with a one-out single, which was followed by Gage Baker being hit by a pitch and Carter Kennon loading the bases with an infield single. Nick Garvey would then drive in the game’s first run with a groundout.

The score would remain 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Pirates finally strung hits together against Fricke. Wyatt Wade opened the inning with a single and due to a steal and a passed ball, advanced to third base. MG had recorded two outs by this time, but the third one would be elusive.

Merek McClure drove in a one run with a double and Journey Williamson and Caden Dewitt both followed with run-scoring singles to put the Pirates up 3-1.

Goetzman was pleased with his team’s speed on the base paths. For the game, they recorded seven steals, with four of them coming in that inning to consistently get guys in scoring position.

“I think we have really good team speed,” he said. “I challenge our kids with that a lot, being aggressive and moving and putting pressure on teams. Tonight, they did a fantastic job with that.”

The Pirates would then add two more runs in the fifth to open up a 5-1 advantage. With one out, Wade and Kaiden Beach hit back-to-back singles and Denton Garrison drove both of them in with a double.

Kennon noted that he’s given a lot of innings on the mound to young pitchers. Despite their growing pains, he’s seen a lot of positives from them.

“The positive thing is he’s (Fricke) a freshman,” he said. “He’s got a lot of room to grow. He’s a freshman, I’ve got another freshman, I’m pitching a sophomore tomorrow. They throw strikes. We play good defense when they put the ball on the ground, but when they put the ball in the gaps, it’s sort of hard to field it.”

Kennon added he felt the difference in the game simply was that Cardington could put the ball in gaps, while his players hit it to where the defense was.

“I told the kids what it came down to today was really simple,” he said. “Two ball teams, but they put the ball where we weren’t and we put the ball where they were. That’s what it came down to. They were putting balls in gaps, we were hitting balls right at them, but that’s baseball.”

Mount Gilead would try to work their way back into the game in the top of the sixth. With one out, Jonny Martinez got on base with a single and then was driven in by a Judah Reid double. After Hayden Somerlot singled to put runners on the corners, a groundball by Mason Barnum drove in Reid to make it a 5-3 game.

The Pirates would get out of the inning with no further damage done and then added an insurance run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by A.J. Hall to provide the winning margin.

Minturn picked up the win for the Pirates, pitching a complete game seven-hitter and striking out three. Goetzman said that his senior pitcher set the tone for the squad when they were stuck in the gym.

“Dillon did a fantastic job on the mound,” he said. “He is our leader and when you have a kid like that who shows up every day and works that hard… It’s your rival, you give him the ball. He’s your senior and he did a great job. This is a huge rivalry in all sports for our kids. So, as a senior, what’s better than beating a rival at home your last time playing them there, so that’s fantastic.”

Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS