Pitching was the name of the game Monday night at Jim Hughes Field … for 6 2/3 innings. Then no more batters were retired by Lawrenceburg as the host Franklin County Wildcats filled the bases and junior Brant Ertel sent a seeing-eye single past the third baseman to score Trevor Moizuk for the game's only run.

Drew Lanning, a Hanover College recruit, stymied the Wildcat offense through the first six innings and struck out 14 before giving way to classmate Easton Rutzel. Rutzel quickly got two outs, but Moizuk popped up in the infield in what seemed like the sure third out and a move to extra innings. The ball fell safely, though, inside the first base line. No. 9 hitter Hunter Geis followed with a single to center and leadoff Remington Watters walked to set up Ertel's closing hit.

The tandem of sophomore Eli Butt and Geis shut down the Tiger offense despite LHS putting at least one runner on in each of the first six frames. Butt gave up a single and walk in the top of six and coach Derek Stang called in Geis from center field. Geis fanned Caden Baker and got a circus catch in foul ground by third baseman Xander Rodriguez to end the threat. After Lanning struck out the side in the sixth – for the second time – Geis retired the Tigers in order in the seventh.

FC saw a runner reach third in the third and fourth stanzas. In the first scenario, Ertel lined out to center; the second time, Lanning whiffed Kristian Prows and Butt to leave men at second and third. 

The Cats had a few key defensive plays on the night. In the second, LHS had runners at first and second with two outs; Noah Redar drove one deep into left field, where Watters picked it off for out number three. In the fifth, Prows made a sno-cone catch of leadoff hitter Devin Fluhmann's sinking liner to right and Isaiah Lee followed that by throwing out Kyle Heeney on an attempted steal.

FC had four hits to LHS' five. Geis earned the win after Butt's 5 1/3 scoreless innings and four strikeouts.

FC is at Lawrenceburg Thursday.