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Orfordville's Cox rules in pitching duel

Joe Cox and the Orfordville Orioles were at the head of the class on a day of superb pitching in Home Talent League baseball.

Cox pitched a complete game and allowed only seven hits, while striking out eight, as the Orioles (1-2) got their first win of the season in the West Division of the Southeast Section with a 3-0 shutout of defending co-champion Evansville.

The effort by Cox upstaged a strong showing by three Evansville pitchers, including starter Matt Drefahl, who had 10 strikeouts in six innings. Middle reliever Nic Larson and closer Brent Cashore joined Drefahl to combine for 13 strikeouts in also throwing a seven-hitter.

While the Jays (1-2) got only one runner as far as base against Cox, Orfordville took control with B.J. Cook’s two-run double in the first inning. The Orioles added their final run on Trevor Wallace’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Wallace and Cox each finished with two hits, while Jeremy Rasmussen and Jon Frey had two apiece for Evansville.

In other Southeast action, Lodi spoiled Albion’s home opener by nipping the previous unbeaten Tigers, 3-1; Fort Atkinson stayed atop the East Division at 3-0 by blanking Deerfield, 3-0; Lake Mills edged Jefferson, 3-2; and Whitewater topped Cambridge, 6-3.

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Lodi 3, Albion 1—Kyle Mack led the way on the mound and at the plate as Lodi (1-2) got the beat Albion’s 1-2 pitching punch of Mike Nanstad and Ben Everson, leaving the Tigers a game behind first-place Utica (3-0) at 2-1 in the West Division.

Mack limited the Tigers to six hits and scored on a passed ball in the ninth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Kelby Mack followed with an RBI double that gave Lodi its two-run margin.

Aaron Manogue’s RBI single in the third lifted Albion into a 1-1 tie and after Lodi had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second.

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Fort Atkinson 3, Deerfield 0—Dan Dean pitched eight great innings, giving up only two hits and striking out 15, to lead the Generals past visiting Deerfield (1-2).

Dean got past Deerfield’s eighth-inning threat that included two base-runners, and Rick Klotz finished it off for Fort Atkinson by pitching a hitless ninth inning. Adam Borchardt went 2-for-3 to lead the Generals’ nine-hit attack.

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Lake Mills, 3, Jefferson 2—Lake Mills (1-2) built a 3-1 lead in a two-run fifth and held on against visiting Jefferson (1-2) in a battle for East Division teams.

Kyle Wollin singled home the go-ahead run in the fifth, and Keith McFarlane followed with an RBI single. Mason Huckabay’s RBI double in the ninth brought Jefferson within 3-2, but the Blue Devils couldn’t drive him home.

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Whitewater 6, Cambridge 3—The Swingers (1-2) broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth to notch their first win of the season.

T.J. Comstock got the tie-breaker with an RBI single, and Whitewater added two insurance runs to support Jason Kollwelter’s seven-hit pitching.