TORONTO — Heath Thomas set the tone for the Toronto baseball team.

Thomas belted a solo home run in the top of the second inning to give Toronto an early lead against Jefferson County rival Edison, and the Red Knights went on to defeat the Wildcats, 4-2, on an overcast Wednesday out at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.

“Heath is a senior, and he has been clutch for us all year,” Toronto (19-3) assistant coach Rich Crowe, who was filling in for head coach Brian Perkins, said. “The seniors come every day, and the seniors have done a heck of a job leading us. It is great to be around these kids and these coaches. I am happy with the kids. It is a good win against a good team.”

The Wildcats fell behind by three runs, and Edison struggled defensively as the hosts committed an error in each of the first four innings of the game.

“I thought we had really-good at-bats, and Nolan (Haught) battled his butt off,” Edison (13-6) head coach Mike Collopy said. “We made some mistakes. It wasn’t because of a lack of effort. You can’t do that against a good team, and we gave them extra chances early on in the game.”

Caden McGrath went the distance to pick up the win the for the boys from the Gem City. McGrath struck out one while also walking one.

“Caden is another senior,” Crowe said. “He came really ready to pitch today. He located his pitches. He did a heck of a job. He fought through some adversity. I am proud of him. Our defense did a great job of making plays and backing him up. It was a good team win.”

Nolan Haught went the distance and was saddled with the loss for the Wildcats. He did not record a strikeout while walking one.

The victors got a runner on base in the first, however, he was thrown out trying to steal second, and Toronto did not score in the inning.

Edison had an opportunity to strike first in the bottom half of the inning. Kyle Long and Evan Kimmerle reached on back-to-back singles with two outs, however, a flyout to center ended the inning.

The Red-and-White then plated a pair of runs in the second to take the early lead. Thomas led off the inning by belting a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left field to give Toronto a 1-0 lead, but the Red Knights were not done scoring runs in the inning.

Chase Heckathorn was then hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a groundout and he ultimately scored on an error in the outfield to give his team a 2-0 advantage. Tanner Newbold ended up on second base on the play, however, he was stranded there on an inning-ending groundout to Haught.

“Anytime you get the lead, you tell your kids to go out there and get outs,” Crowe said. “We wanted to keep playing good defense, and we were able to do that today.”

The Wildcats once again threatened in the home half of the inning, but they were once again unable to take advantage of the opportunity. Kayden Russell singled to right to start the inning, however, he was erased on the bases thanks to a fielder’s choice. With two outs, Santino Auteri singled to left, however, Newbold threw Bryson Cunningham, who reached on the fielder’s choice, out at third ending the inning.

McGrath reached base on an error for the second time to lead off the third for Toronto, and the pitcher advanced to second on a single by Drake Bouscher. After a flyout, Thomas was hit by a pitch to load the bases, however, Haught was able to escape the inning unscathed thanks to a pop-up and a lineout.

The Wildcats were able to break through and get on the scoreboard in their half of the third. Haught singled to left to start the inning, and he moved up to second on a wild pitch with two outs before scoring on a base hit by Kimmerlee to cut Edison’s deficit down to 2-1. The home team was unable to draw any closer as a flyout ended the inning.

The visitors extended their advantage in the fourth. Lucas Wiseman singled to lead off the inning, and Newbold reached on an error to give Toronto a pair of baserunners. Both runners advanced on a fielder’s choice, and Wiseman scored on a sacrifice fly by McGrath to make the score, 3-1, and Bouscher brought Newbold home with a groundout to second to make it a 4-1 ballgame.

“Between the two teams there were 160-180 pitches, and you can’t say one pitched caused the loss in any situation,” Collopy said. “We just did not get the job done. Our kids battled. They always battle. We have a big game tomorrow against Carrollton and a big game Friday, but we are not looking any further ahead than Carrollton.”

Edison answered with a run in the fifth to cut its deficit to two runs. With one out, Haught singled to get things started, and the pitcher advanced to second on a double to left by Chase Freeman. Then, Haught scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Long to pull his team to within 4-2. Kimmerle was then walked to give Edison a pair of baserunners, however, a flyout ended the inning.

Russell singled to start the sixth for Edison, however, he was out at second on a fielder’s choice, and a groundout brought the inning to an end.

The Wildcats were retired in order in the seventh bringing the game to a close.

“It is nice anytime you can beat a team like Edison,” Crowe said. “Edison has a great program. Coach Collopy is an excellent coach and a good person. He always does a good job. It is nice to beat a team like this late in the season. Our kids did a good job. It was a good win against a good team.”

After a hiatus, the two county rivals have played in each of the past four seasons.

“It is always a good game,” Collopy said. “We have played them the last four seasons. We won the first two years winning in 2023 and 24, and they have beaten us the last two years. It is good for the communities. It is a big game. We were not able to take advantage of our opportunities. We just were not able to get the job done today. We weren’t able to get it done.”

Edison is scheduled to play Carrollton at 5 p.m. on the road.

Toronto is slated to play Waynedale at 12:30 p.m. Saturday out at Harrison Central’s Mazeroski Field.

Toronto 4, Edison 2

Toronto 020 200 0 – 4 4 0

Edison 001 010 0 – 2 9 4

TORONTO (19-3): McGrath WP (1K, 1BB) and Henry. McGrath RBI; Bouscher S, RBI; Henry S; Thomas HR, RBI; Wiseman S.

EDISON (13-6): Haught LP (0K, 1BB) and Kimmerle. Haught 2S; Freeman D; Long S, RBI; Kimmerle 2S, RBI; Russell 2S; Auteri S.