'Riders fight back, fall by one in opener

PERKINS TWP. — it was opening day for Western Reserve's baseball team, but Logan Wiegel looked like he was in midseason form.The junior pitcher struck out 12 and walked only two, enduring only one bad inning in the Roughriders' 6-5 loss to Margaretta at Sports Force Parks."I was doing what I normally do," Wiegel said. "We had that one bad inning and I've struggled getting upset with myself. I worked on not doing that today and it helped a lot." Wiegel threw a complete game, getting through seven innings in 112 pitches."He's our one guy who's allowed on a long leash because he's our one non-basketball player, so he's been throwing bullpens for about three months now," Western coach Josh Good said.Wiegel also helped the 'Riders with his bat. His solid single up the middle with a runner on in the bottom of the fourth inning was the first hit off Margaretta ace Ben Palomo.Luke Cunningham's infield hit then scored Carson Roe, who had walked with one out.Margaretta's lead was still comfortable at 6-1, but the scrappy Riders had seven hits in the last four innings and made things exciting late.Western scored three runs in the fifth. Rhett Gross walked and the Polar Bears changed pitchers. Chris Buchanan had a one-out infield hit and Cam Hankins' bloop single to left scored Gross.With two out and two on, Wiegel hammered a ground-rule double that bounced off the turf and over the fence in left field, scoring Buchanan and Hankins to make it 6-4.Buchanan cut the deficit to one run when he led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run to left field. He matched Wiegel with two hits.The next three Riders were retired to end the game.Margaretta scored five runs in the top of the third (Western was the home team because the game was moved from the Riders' field), three of them earned. The Riders' only two errors came in the inning and Wiegel also beaned a batter."We've stressed that mistakes will happen," Good said. "We need to figure out a way to fight through adversity. We did, but we were a little bit short."(Wiegel) commanded the ball really well and threw his curveball very well tonight. Take that one inning away and we're on top probably 5-0, 5-1."Western, which finished 12-16 last season, is playing without standout seniors Jude Muenz and Matt Jarrett. The two players had separate knee injuries in the final game of the basketball season in a Division III district championship on March 5."Hopefully we get Muenz back sooner rather than later," Good said. "Jarrett is out for the year. That takes your 3-4 hitters and No. 1 pitcher from last year off the field right now. "We have some young guys stepping up and playing spots they haven't played before."Western visits Columbia on Thursday before hosting Sandusky for a Saturday doubleheader. The Riders' Firelands Conference opener is Monday at Plymouth.