Photo by Kim North Martins Ferry’s Colby Kropka delivers a pitch plateward during Thursday night’s game with Union Local in Morristown. The junior came on in relief in the third inning and went the distance as the Purple Riders rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Jets.

MORRISTOWN – Martins Ferry and Union Local were both coming off huge baseball victories 24 hours earlier when they met Thursday at sun-splashed Jets Field. The Purple Riders won on the road, 1-0, at Cambridge, while the Jets defeated St. Clairsville, 9-7.

The persevering Purple Riders (5-2) found a way to earn a second consecutive road win with a come-from-behind, 4-3, nod over the Jets (4-4) in Buckeye 8 action.

“I’d much rather win ugly than lose pretty,” veteran Martins Ferry head coach Anthony Reasbeck said. “This, by no means, was a Picasso, but we’ll take it. I told the guys before they got off the bus I didn’t care how they did it, I just wanted them to have five wins on the way home.”

Deadlocked at 3 heading into the top of the seventh, Martins Ferry manufactured the eventual game-winning run on a dropped third-strike that allowed Cole Patterson to reach first base. Pinch-hitter Easton Mace laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt as Petterson moved up 90 feet. Maurice Bennett lined a single to center that moved Patterson to third, and he raced home when Christian Shutler’s smash to short was too hot to handle.

The victory came despite Martins Ferry stranding 14 runners on base, with eight of those in scoring position. They left the bases loaded in the second and third and left a pair on in each of the final four frames.

“It’s the most frustrating thing I’ve been around. We don’t do the little things that win you games, but somehow we have found ways to win,” Reasbeck said. “It’s puzzling.”

Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the third and Union Local having runners on second and third, Reasbeck brought in Colby Kropka to relieve Clayton Snyder. A groundout and two strikeouts later, the Purple Riders were back in the dugout. The righty would finish the game, striking out five, walking none and allowing a pair of harmless singles.

“Colby stepped up. He really did,” Reasbeck said of his junior. “We needed that from a guy who it seems like has played forever.”

Union Local grabbed the lead early with two runs in the first inning courtesy of Evan Poziviak’s two-run, two-out double to left-center. Colby Carpenter delivered a run-scoring single in the second to make it 3-0.

Martins Ferry chipped away with two runs in the fourth, but had a third negated on a fine throw from center fielder Eli Rogers to Brody Gregor at the plate. An error allowed Christian Shutler to reach second to start the sixth and Hunter Shutler sent a 2-0 pitch up the middle as his cousin scampered around to score.

“Offensively we’re going to come back around. We’re not hitting real well right now, but it will come around,” Reasbeck noted. The Purple Riders collected 11 hits – all singles.

Hunter Shutler led the attack with a trio of base hits that produced three runs. He singled in two in the fourth and tied the game in the sixth.

“He needed that,” Reasbeck said. “He’s been struggling at the plate, so it was good to see him break out a little today.”

In addition to those three hits, Christian Shutler, Patterson and Bennett all singled twice.

The loss was tough to take for Union Local head coach Jim Hess.

“Our pitchers have been battling for us, throwing well,” he said. “I just told the guys if we put the ball in play, be aggressive, make the routine plays and throw strikes, we’re going to win baseball games. Tonight we didn’t do some of those things, and it cost us. We made some very good plays, but it was the routine plays that we didn’t make that hurt us.”

Karson Gregatis had two singles for the Jets.

Union Local is back in action Friday at Oak Glen.

“We don’t have any time to dwell on this game,” Hess stressed. “We’re going to come to school tomorrow, get in the (batting) cage after school before we head to Oak Glen. We’ve got to be ready to play.”

Martins Ferry travels to Edison on Saturday for a 3 p.m. first-pitch at the Unified Sports Complex in Richmond.