Big innings. Sometimes they can either win you a game or cost you a game on the baseball diamond.

Tyler Ahring’s Owensville Dutchmen found this out last Tuesday facing Belle’s Tigers in a Highway 28 baseball showdown at Memorial Field.

Falling behind 2-0 early in the game, OHS put up six runs in the bottom of the first inning only to see Belle knot the game at 6-6 with a single tally in the second and three in the third inning.

Turning four hits, three walks, two errors and a hit batter into eight runs during the bottom of the fourth inning, Ahring’s Dutchmen went on to hand the visiting Tigers their first loss of the season by a score of 16-6 in five innings.

In a match-up of former colleagues, Ahring faced Belle head coach Chris Feeler for the first time since he became Owensville’s new head baseball coach.

A few years ago, Ahring was an assistant coach under Feeler at Belle.

Taking advantage of a two-out rally, Belle jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning.

Mason Butler walked and scored on a Levi Fortner RBI single putting the visiting Tigers out in front 1-0.

Keeping the two-out rally going, Ethan Loughridge doubled down the left-field line driving in Fortner giving Belle an early 2-0 lead.

Moving to the bottom of the first inning, Owensville answered Belle’s two runs and then some sending 12 batters to the plate.

Bryor Bogle led the inning off with a walk before scoring on a one-out RBI double from Drew Baumbach down the left-field line.

Baumbach’s stay on the bases was short as Brady Smith drove him in with a RBI single tying the game at 2-2.

A Javohntae Gates walk and Sebastian Dixon being hit by a pitch loaded the bases for Tyler Heidbrink.

Tyler’s subsequent single allowed Smith to score followed by Gates via a Tiger error.

Working on a two-out rally of their own, Justin Gauer extended it for the Dutchmen reaching on an error allowing Bogle to bat for the second time in the inning.

Lacing an RBI single to lef field, Bogle drove in Dixon and Heidbrink giving OHS a 6-2 lead after one inning.

Belle got a run back in the top of the second inning when Nathan Valley walked and scored after Butler reached on a fielder’s choice before taking third on a Dutchmen error.

Still leading 6-3 after two innings. Owensville saw Belle continue to chip away in the top of the third inning.

Jeb Seaver drew a one-out walk before Jace Gieck drew a two-out walk setting up two runners on for Butler.

Reaching on an error, Butler made it safely to first base while Seaver scored and Gieck wound up at third base with Owensville’s lead now at 6-4.

Back-to-back RBI singles from Lane Feeler and Dylan Light scoring Gieck and Butler respectively tied the game at 6-6.

Pitching in relief of Gates, Alberto Del Pino Ortiz kept Belle off the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning.

Seeing 12 batters at the plate in the bottom of the first inning, OHS improved on that sending 13 batters to the dish in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Cody Linders started the inning with a one-out double down the left-field line before scoring on a Heidbrink RBI double putting Owensville back in front.

Dixon singled and scored on an error off the bat of Bogle later in the inning.

Adding to a second-inning walk, TC Fisher walked and scored on yet another Tiger error helping OHS to an eventual 14-6 lead after four innings.

After another perfect inning from Ortiz, the Dutchmen needed just two runs to end the game in five innings.

Bogle reached on an error with one out before scoring his third run of the game on a Fisher RBI single.

Baumbach reached on a fielder’s choice  before eventually ending the game scoring on a wild pitch.

Bogle and Baumbach both scored three runs for the Dutchmen while Smith recorded three of Owensville’s 11 hits.

In the run-batted in department, Bogle, Fisher, Baumbach, Smith and Heidbrink all drived in a pair helping Ortiz pick up his first high school varsity baseball victory.

OHS returns to action today (Wednesday) facing St. Clair at Memorial Field in a rematch of a Friday, March 15 16-15 slugfest.