Photo by Kim North St. Clairsville Post 159’s Kaleb Stang slides safely into third base Monday against Moundsville Post 3 at Unified Bank Field at the Junior Sports Complex in St. Clairsville. When the throw got away, Stang got up and raced home with the final run in a 3-1 Post 159 victory.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Billy Schumacher and Nico Jacob combined on a 1-hitter Monday night as St. Clairsville made its home American Legion baseball debut a successful one with a 3-1 triumph over visiting Moundsville on the artificial surface at Unified Bank Field inside the Junior Sports Complex.

Schumacher, who struck out six and walked two in four innings, earned the win and Jacob, who checked in with two strikeouts and a walk, was credited with the three-inning save.

“Our bats were kind of quiet tonight,” Post 3 manager Tim Koontz admitted. “We’re still a really young team.”

St. Clairsville co-acting manager Tim Blue was pleased with what he saw out of Schumacher and Jacob.

“It’s probably been at least two weeks since Billy has pitched in a game,” Blue said. “He threw strikes and got ahead of the hitters. He did a great job and then Nico came in and he threw strikes.”

Together, the duo tossed 103 pitches (Schumacher 71, Jacob 32) with Schumacher throwing 48 strikes and Jacob 18.

The lone hit surrendered by Schumacher — a single — came off the bat of Jesse McDowell with two outs in the fourth. Post 3 (1-5) went on to load the bases on a hit-by-pitch and walk before the Union Local graduate fanned the next hitter to escape any damage.

McDowell, who reached base all three times he batted, walked with one out in the second and stole second. With two outs, losing pitcher Aiden Clegg dribbled the ball in front of the plate. Schumacher picked it up and dropped it before regaining control. Of the ball. However, his throw to first sailed past Evan White and down the right field line as McDowell scored to make it 1-0.

Rowan Mellott bunted for a single leading off the Post 159 bottom of the third. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Brody Saunders drew a two-out walk. Both runners would score when White sent a towering drive to deep right that caromed off the fence for a double and a 2-1 lead.

“Their starting pitcher kept us off-balance,” St. Clairsville co-acting manager Jeff Miller said. “He changed speeds a lot and had a good breaking ball. We’ve got to do better at the plate in certain circumstances.

St. Clairsville tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Kaleb Stang raced home on a throwing error for a 3-1 advantage.

Post 159 left seven runners on base, something that Blue was not pleased with.

“Three times we had a runner on second and no outs and didn’t make contact at the plate,” he stressed. “We’ve got to do a better job of that going forward.”

Mellott, the No. 9 hitter in the order, was the only player with multiple hits as he also singled in the fifth.

Clegg struck out eight and walked three in five innings.

“Aiden is going to be a sophomore next year at John Marshall. He pitched well tonight,” Koontz added. “He’ll get better as the season goes on.”

IN its season-opener on Sunday, St. Clairsville rallied past homestanding Zanesville Post 29, 6-4, as Saunders drove in two runs with a single and Schumacher and Peyton Blue also knocked in a run each. Blue had a single and double. Ryan Collins picked up the win in relief of Dylan Blon. Saunders earned the save. They combined for seven strikeouts, with Collins logging four.

St. Clairsville returns to action Wednesday at New Philadelphia before hosting Shelby, N.C. on Thursday under the lights at 7:30. Moundsville remains on the road at Brilliant on Tuesday.