Ottawa-Glandorf’s Jayden Stechschulte tags out Napoleon’s Zachehlers during Sunday’s ACME state tournament at Defiance High School.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
DEFIANCE – Ottawa-Glandorf put Napoleon on upset alert for six innings before the Wildcats erupted for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to get a 5-1 win in the first round of the ACME state baseball tournament on Sunday.
Napoleon raised its record to 20-1 with the win. O-G finished its season 9-6.
“We hung in there against a real good team and had one bad inning,” Ottawa-Glandorf coach Dylan Leopold said. “It was tough for us to bounce back from that, especially against a good team, a good pitcher and good defense all around.”
Ottawa-Glandorf took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Jayden Stechschulte led off with a single and eventually scored on a single by Brandon Warnecke.
Napoleon’s lead off hitter in the first three innings reached base but the Wildcats couldn’t get a run out of any of those situations.
The Titans held the lead until the top of the fifth inning when Napoleon tied the game on back to back doubles by Cal Bickel and Owen Espinoza to start the inning.
It stayed that way until the seventh inning when Napoleon scored four runs on two hits, two walks and two Ottawa-Glandorf errors.
Owen Espinosa (6 strikeouts, 0 walks, 6 hits allowed) got a complete game win for Napoleon. O-G starter Trevor Maag (1 strikeout, 3 walks, 6 hits allowed) pitched 6 2/3 innings.
“Trevor was pitching really well, throwing strikes and letting the defense play,” Leopold said.
The Titans got two big plays from their defense in back to back innings. In the fourth inning center fielder Jordan Metzger made a sliding catch on a ball that looked like it was going to be an extra-base hit. And in the fifth inning catcher Jayden Stechschulte tagged out a runner at the plate to deny Napoleon a run that would have given it the lead, then ran out into the infield to tag out a Napoleon runner between first and second base for a double play.
Summing up the season, Leopold said, “Overall it was a good summer. We’re starting to build a good program.”
From Monday, July 17: Coldwater falls to Napoleon in ACME state semifinals
Coldwater 7, Perrysburg 4
The Cavaliers fell behind 3-0 after three innings but bounced back to advance to Monday’s state semifinal round against Napoleon with a 7-4 win.
Coldwater got two runs in the top of the fourth inning, three runs in the fifth inning and added two more in the sixth inning.
In the fourth inning, Kenny Bailey walked and Baylen Blockberger reached base on an error with one out. Brady Lefeld singled to score Bailey and after a wild pitch Miles Potkotter’s ground out scored Blockberger to cut Perrysburg’s lead to 3-2.
A.J. Harlamert, who reached base four times without having a hit (three walks and a hit by pitch), walked and stole second to start the rally that put Coldwater ahead to stay.
Mason Welsch singled to tie the score. Cale Wenning singled and Bailey walked to load the bases. Blockberger and Lefeld followed with run-scoring singles to make it 5-3.
In the sixth inning, Cody Depweg doubled, Braylen Harlamert was hit by a pitch, A.J. Harlamert walked and Bailey singled to score two runs.
Coldwater is 20-3. Perrysburg is 24-12.
Indian Lake 7, Miller City 2
The Lakers (21-0) sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the first inning and scored four runs to take control of its game against Miller City
Indian Lake’s first three hitters reached base when Madden Lillard and Dawson Finfrock walked and Burke Lillard singled to load the bases. Evan Manley followed with a single and the Lakers didn’t look back.
Indian Lake pitcher Cam Tuttle (6 strikeouts, 5 walks) had a no-hitter through five innings before Miller City’s Brent Koenig led off the bottom of the sixth with a double.
The next hitter, C.J. Lehman, had an infield single and Ethan Barlage’s double drove in Koenig and Lehman. Those were the only hits the Wildcats (10-2) had.
Reach Jim Naveau at 567-242-0414.
