Tea Steam outlasts Larchwood

The Tea Steam battled back from an early deficit and held on through nine innings to defeat the Larchwood Diamonds, 3-2, in amateur baseball action on Tuesday, July 1.

Larchwood struck first, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The batter singled to lead off and eventually came around to score on a hit. Another run crossed after an error, giving the Diamonds a 2-0 lead.

Tea struggled offensively early but came alive in the fifth. After Dawson Portner reached on a walk, Troy Ljunggren launched a two-run home run to left field, tying the game at 2-2. Cameron Jensen followed with a double and later scored the go-ahead run on a groundout by Nathan Babb after an error and a courtesy runner substitution.

The Tea pitching staff, led by Jensen and later Austin Portner, proved dominant after the rocky first inning. Jensen tallied double-digit strikeouts through the middle innings, including striking out the side in the third. He finished with 14 strike-outs. Portner took over in the seventh and pitched out of multiple jams, including a pressure-filled ninth inning. He recorded five strike-outs. 

In the bottom of the ninth, the Larchwood batter doubled with no outs, putting the tying run in scoring position. But Portner struck out the next two batters before getting the last batter swinging to seal the win, stranding two Larchwood runners and preserving the narrow 3-2 victory.

Tea’s offense was powered by Ljunggren’s clutch home run, with Jensen going 3-for-4 at the plate and also delivering a strong performance on the mound. Michael Buchmann and Trey Heckenlaible each added a hit, while the team capitalized on a handful of Larchwood miscues.

The team is scheduled to host the Akron Rebels on Friday, July 11. The Steam will be at Akron on Sunday, July 13 and home again on Tuesday, July 15 when they host Larchwood.