MIAMI (AP) — Homer Bailey pitched a six-hitter to earn his first victory since April 5, and the Cincinnati Reds extended their winning streak to four games by beating the Miami Marlins 6-2 Tuesday night.

Xavier Paul hit a three-run double for the Reds, who took advantage of consecutive bases-loaded walks by Ricky Nolasco. Brandon Phillips, who began the night tied for the NL lead in RBIs, drove in two runs.

Bailey (2-3), who threw a career-high 125 pitches, tied his major league best with 10 strikeouts and walked none in his fourth complete game. He retired the final eight batters, and his last pitch was a 97 mph fastball.

The right-hander, who has had spotty run support this season, lowered his ERA at night to 1.80. His ERA in three daytime starts is 7.16.

The Reds climbed a season-best seven games above .500 as they began a nine-game trip. The Marlins, who have the NL’s worst record, lost their third game in a row and fell to 5-12 at home.

A brief, uncharacteristic bout of wildness proved costly for Nolasco (2-5), who gave up six runs in five innings. He hit a batter with a pitch and walked two — both with the bases loaded.

Joey Votto drove in a run and had three hits to hike his average to .322. Ryan Hanigan added two hits to raise his average to .149.

Miami batted rookies Derek Dietrich and Marcell Ozuna third and fourth. The strategy failed to jump-start an offense ranked last in the majors in runs, batting average and homers.

The Marlins have totaled three runs in Nolasco’s past three starts.

Cincinnati broke the game open by scoring five runs in the second inning, all with two outs. Nolasco hit Shin-Soo Choo with a pitch and, after the Reds loaded the bases, walked Votto and Phillips to force in runs.

Nolasco then grooved a 3-1 pitch to Paul, who hit a three-run double that put Cincinnati ahead 6-1.

Phillips singled home a run in the first after Zack Cozart doubled and went to third on a single by Votto. Miami also scored in the first when Juan Pierre led off with a double and came home on a single by Dietrich.

NOTES: With a temperature of 77 degrees at game time, the retractable roof was open for the ninth time this season. It was open only eight times last year. … Reds OF Chris Heisey, who is on the disabled list, aggravated a strained right hamstring Monday playing for Double-A Pensacola. His projected date to rejoin the team was pushed back to next week. … Cincinnati LHP Manny Parra, on the DL with a strained left pectoral muscle, began a rehab assignment Monday with Pensacola and threw one scoreless inning. … The Reds flipped RHP Mat Latos and LHP Tony Cingrani in the rotation to give the latter extra rest as he deals with shoulder soreness. Latos will now start the series finale Thursday, and Cingrani will pitch Friday in Philadelphia. … Reds RF Jay Bruce, who had played in every game, was given the night off. … The Marlins began the homestand averaging 18,865 fans per game, which ranked ahead of three other teams: Oakland, Tampa Bay and Cleveland.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jonathan Pettibone pitched neatly into the seventh, Kevin Frandsen and Domonic Brown hit solo homers and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cleveland Indians 6-2 on Tuesday night.

John Mayberry Jr. had three hits and three RBIs, including a go-ahead two-run double for the Phillies, who won their third straight game to get within two games of .500.

Pettibone (3-0) allowed two runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings, the longest of his five career starts. Three relievers got the next four outs and Jonathan Papelbon finished in a non-save situation after Philadelphia tacked on two runs in the eighth.

The Phillies improved to 12-4 when Pettibone, Kyle Kendrick or John Lannan start. They’re 7-16 in games started by the $64.5 million trio of Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.

Cleveland’s Scott Kazmir (2-2) gave up four runs and six hits in five-plus innings.

The Indians had won seven of nine. They swept a two-game series at home against the Phillies two weeks ago, outscoring them 20-2.

Brown got Philadelphia’s rally going in the fourth by lining a one-out single. Carlos Ruiz then walked to bring up Mayberry. He ripped a two-run double to left-center to put the Phillies up 3-2.

Brown roped his seventh homer into the right-field seats to make it 4-2 in the sixth. Since Brown hit a three-run homer against the New York Mets on April 27, the team’s last 16 homers have been solo shots.

Mayberry and Freddy Galvis had RBI singles in the eighth.

Frandsen hit a 1-2 pitch into the flower bed just beyond the left-field wall to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the first.

Nick Swisher led off the second with a single and Carlos Santana followed with an opposite-field double down the left-field line. After Mark Reynolds popped out to shallow right, Michael Brantley hit a two-run single up the middle off a 1-2 pitch.

Asdrubal Cabrera led off the eighth with a triple off Antonio Bastardo, but was stranded. Bastardo struck out Nick Swisher looking. After Santana walked, Justin De Fratus entered and retired Reynolds on an infield pop. Jeremy Horst then came in and fanned Brantley to end the inning.

Pettibone had location issues in the third when he loaded the bases on a walk and hit consecutive batters. But he retired Reynolds on a pop-up to escape the jam.

The surprising Indians, coming off a 68-94 season, are 21-17 under first-year manager Terry Francona, who managed the Phillies to four losing seasons from 1997-2000 before leading Boston to two World Series titles in 2004 and 2007.

NOTES: Kazmir hit Frandsen twice. Frandsen, who started to give Chase Utley a day off, is 7 for 15 with two homers and four RBIs against lefties. … The Indians are 0-4 at Citizens Bank Park. … Cleveland’s starters are 11-4 in the last 17 games. … Philadelphia is 14-4 when scoring at least four runs. …. Hamels (1-5, 4.18) faces Cory Kluber (2-2, 5.64) Wednesday afternoon. The Phillies are 1-7 in Hamels’ starts this season.

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Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobMaaddi

Midwest Athletic Conference League Meet

At Versailles High School

Girls Team Rankings - 6 Events Scored: Marion Local 61, Minster 52.50, Coldwater 36.83, Versailles 36.33, New Bremen 16, St. John’s 15, St. Henry 6, Parkway 4.33, New Knoxville and Ft. Recovery 3.

Boys Team Rankings - 5 Events Scored: Minster 50, Versailles 48, Coldwater 37.50, St. John’s 20, New Knoxville 11, St. Henry 10, Parkway 7, New Bremen 6, Marion Local 5.50.

By BRIAN BASSETT

DHI Correspondent

MIDDLE POINT - When the Crestview Lady Knight softball team is involved in a 1-run tournament game, odds are that they are the winner.

The Lincolnview Lady Lancers (16-3) gave the Lady Knights a dose of their own medicine, however, Tuesday evening in the sectional championship game at Lancer field.

Lincolnview, behind a dominating performance from junior pitcher Ashley McClure and a clutch RBI single by senior centerfielder Jodie Doner, beat Crestview 1-0 to take the sectional championship.

The Lady Lancer win prevents the Lady Knights from claiming their 11th straight sectional title. Crestview (13-9), the reigning state champion, had won 13 of the 14 previous sectional titles.

“It feels great,” admitted Lincolnview coach Kent McClure. “We’re not done yet. We’ve got to play them Thursday.”

McClure was referring to the final Northwest Conference game of the season for both teams, which will take place Thursday at Crestview.

As far as Tuesday’s contest, both McClure and Crestview sophomore pitcher Terra Crowle were incredibly good on the mound, combining to surrender only eight hits.

McClure got the best of her counterpart, however, by taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning. The Lincolnview ace eventually gave up two hits, but allowed no runs while striking out five and walking two in her seven-inning outing.

“Ashley pitched a great game. Actually (assistant) Coach Coppus, (senior catcher) Lauren (Calvert) and Ashley pitched a great game. We scouted them during the year and obviously, that worked,” explained Coach McClure.

The game, which lasted less than an hour-and-a-half was well played on all accounts. Neither team committed an error.

“You’ve got to give them all the credit in the world,” explained Crestview head coach Owen Pugh. “They got the hit tonight when they needed it.”

That hit came in the form of Doner’s RBI single in the top of the fifth. With the game tied at zero, Calvert singled to open the frame. Junior first baseman Macey Ashbaugh then bunted Calvert to second. Crowle got a quick strikeout for the second out of the inning.

With two strikes on Doner, Crowle threw a changeup which Doner stayed back on long enough to drive the pitch into center field and score senior Courtney Gorman, who was running for Calvert.

“Our seniors are going to come through,” McClure said of the Doner hit. “Having Courtney Gorman on as a courtesy runner was key.”

Lost in the shuffle was a very nice outing put in by Crowle. She allowed five Lady Lancers hits and one earned run, while striking out nine and walking only one in seven innings.

The first real Crestview scoring threat came in the bottom of the sixth when junior catcher Riley Guest picked up a 1-out single. Junior third baseman Brooke Bowen then walked to put runners on first and second and senior DP Brittany Helt bunted the runners to second and third.

Junior first baseman and three-hole hitter Kirstin Hicks then came up but flew out to deep left field to end the inning.

“In the sixth inning we had the people we wanted up. We had base runners in scoring position and we had Kirstin up. We couldn’t have drawn it up any better, and it just didn’t happen,” Pugh said.

The Lady Knights threatened again with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Freshman second baseman Haley Helm and sophomore shortstop Mackenzie Riggenbach each singled to put runners on first and second, prompting a mound visit by Coach McClure.

“I told them let’s get the out. Then it will be second and third with two outs and the bottom of the order (up). We just needed to get an out. If we keep them to one run we’ll play them to extra innings,” explained McClure.

Fortunately for the Lady Lancers it didn’t come to that. Ashley McClure induced a ground ball to herself and retired Helm at third. A flyout then ended the game and gave the Lady Lancers the sectional title.

“It’s just not going our way right now. You’ve got to put the ball in play more than we did tonight. We didn’t get it done,” Pugh explained.

Beside Doner and Calverts hits in the fifth, Crowle scattered three more. Sophomore shortstop Bailey Neate singled in the first, Ashbaugh singled in the third and freshman DP Autumn Proctor reached on an infield single in the sixth.

No hitter on either team had multiple hits,and there were no extra-base hits for either team.

The excitment of Tuesday’s game only further sets the stage for Thursday’s contest. A win for Crestview (7-1) would give it the outright NWC championship. A Lincolnview (6-2) win would force a 3-way tie atop the conference between the two teams, Lima Central Catholic (7-2) and possibly Columbus Grove (5-2).

Thursday’s game will be the second attempt to make up a game from eariler this season. The game was most recently postponed after an inning of play with, fittingly, the score tied at zero.

Lincolnview 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 1 5

Crestview 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2

WP - A. McClure; LP - Crowle.

By DAVE BONINSEGNA

The Delphos Herald

zsportslive@yahoo.com

COLUMBUS GROVE — Kalida baseball coach Jim McBride is retiring after this season and his Wildcats were attempting to extend his career one game longer as they took on the Columbus Grove Bulldogs in the Division IV sectional finals at Grove on Tuesday afternoon.

The Wildcats struck for three runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back as they beat the top-seeded Bulldogs 9-3 to move on to the districts at Elida.