ORTIZ’S HEROICS KEEP CANFIELD IN THE AAC PICTURE
AUSTINTOWN OH- Canfield and Fitch traded punches all night, but when the dust settled Thursday, it was the Cards walking it off in the seventh for a 5-4 win.
Tied at four with one out in the final frame, Canfield got the last word when a clean single to right brought the winning run home and sent the dugout spilling onto the field.
Fitch jumped out first with a solo shot in the second, then added another long ball in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead. Canfield answered each time—first with an RBI single in the third, then with a solo bomb of their own in the fourth.
The see-saw battle continued in the fifth. Fitch grabbed the lead again with a triple, but Canfield came right back in the home half with a sac fly and a base knock to go up 4-3.
Fitch knotted things again in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough. Canfield stayed poised and punched back one final time.
At the dish, Ortiz and Koenig each tallied two hits for Canfield, with Ortiz driving in a pair—including the game-winner. Lutz also had two RBIs and a key sac fly. The Cards were disciplined, drawing five walks and playing clean in the field with zero errors.
Fitch swung it well too, racking up 10 hits. Abby Toth had a day, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a homer. Rodgers, Ray, and Coates also chipped in with multi-hit games. Next up, Canfield heads to Champion on Saturday, while Fitch gets back to it Monday against Aurora.
