MARTINS FERRY — On a day where the Martins Ferry Purple Riders honored their senior class, it was a swing of the bat from a sophomore that lurched them ahead in a 5-3 victory over Monroe Central.

Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Martins Ferry loaded the bases for sophomore Clayton Snyder, who ripped a single down the third base-line to score two go-ahead runs. Eli Smith, who pitched the sixth and seventh innings, turned away the Seminoles in the top of the seventh, sandwiching a single between a fly out, fielder’s choice, and finally a strike out on a 1-2 fastball to end the game.

Snyder had three RBI on the day in a game where Martins Ferry drew eight walks, and were able to cash in enough times to move to 9-5 on the year.

“I thought our offense was good, but the numbers didn’t equate sometimes,” Martins Ferry head coach Anthony Reasbeck said. “I mean, we left bases loaded once, second and third once, first and second once, but we just kept grinding it out. And if you do that more often than not, good things will happen.”

Snyder also started the game for the Purple Riders, striking out a pair in five innings. The game was the second meeting of a home-and-home series, as Monroe Central defeated Martins Ferry 12-2 in Woodsfield on Thursday.

“We got beat up pretty good last night,” Reasbeck said. “They beat us up and we kind of went back and forth on how to kind of make it right and they beat us up again, but we were men about it today. We weren’t children. We found a way to battle back.

“Pitching staff was really good. Clayton Snyder was really good. And when you got a guy like Eli that’s begging for the ball all game and you have that luxury on the bench and you can go to a guy that’s blazing, man, that’s a good problem for me to have. I got a gift on the bench and I just say, go get ’em kid. And he does. Clayton threw a hell of a game too.”

Tied 1-1 in the top of the fifth inning, the Seminoles’ Caleb Griffith drove in two runs on a worm burner through the left side of the infield.

In the bottom half, Martins Ferry fired back, working the bases loaded with nobody out after a double, a hit-by-pitch and a walk. Snyder hit a sacrifice fly to score Eli Smith, and Silas Simpson looped a base hit to left field to drive in the tying run.

Monroe Central’s Max Demchak entered and was able to strike out the next two batters to keep the game tied.

The Seminoles loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth, but Smith was able to nab a strikeout to keep any damage from coming home.

“We came out, hit the ball well in the first inning, put up a run, started off pretty decent at the plate and had a good approach, but their pitchers kept us off balance through the middle innings there,” Monroe Central head coach Dane Merckle said.

“We struck again a little bit later in the game, but then they brought in Eli and he did a nice job pitching for them, and they put a few runs across and they got us there at the end. It was a good performance on their part on senior day for them. Kudos to them on a good win and a good game they played today.”

It was a special day for the Purple Riders’ honored seniors, Luca Shane, Santino DeArdo, Michael Goff and Maurice Barnett.

“I mean, you hear about run-through-a-wall guys. They are, all four of them,” Reasbeck said of his senior quartet. “They would do anything I ask of them, and they’ve shown that for four years. And a couple of those guys waited to play, never complained, now it’s their time and they’re doing a nice job. And they’re fun to be around, and that’s all that matters.”