Ottawa-Glandorf’s Evan Pester pitches during Wednesday’s Division III sectional semifinal against Bluffton at Memorial Park in Ottawa.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
OTTAWA — Ottawa-Glandorf appears to be putting everything together as the Titans enter the postseason.
The Titans excelled in all three fundamentals, pitching, hitting and defense to record a 9-1 win against Bluffton in a Division III sectional semifinal Wednesday.
With the win, the Titans improve to 13-11 and advance to play Friday at Liberty-Benton. Bluffton ends its year with an 11-14 mark.
Evan Pester put in a solid outing as the senior hurler tossed a complete-game four hitter while fanning six and walking one. In four of the seven innings, the Pirates were set down in order and in the third inning Pester fanned the side.
Titan head coach Nick Watkins praised Pester’s outing and the team’s defensive effort.
“Evan has been good for us all year we knew coming in Evan was going to throw strikes and mix up speeds and let our defense play,” Watkins said. “I think our defense has stepped up since day one and Evan knows that and he trusts everyone behind him.
“That is what Evan does best. He mixes it up real well. He is not going to throw anything past you but that is his MO. He is going to get ahead of you in the count and get you with his off-speed pitches.”
Bluffton scored its lone run in the fourth when Quinn Eaches, who opened the inning with a single, scored on a double from Jacob Granger. Watkins said the bats have been hitting the last month and this has been an extension of that.
Bluffton head coach Kasey Krendl said it was a little out of the ordinary that his team was unable to string together hits and scoring runs, something the Pirates have done all year.
“Usually we get some guys on, steal some bases but today wasn’t our day at the plate,” Krendl said. “Their pitcher threw a heck of a game. He was a great pitcher who throws a lot of strikes and we didn’t have it today.”
“The last month we have been really good at the plate,” Watkins said. “We’ve got guys on base. We’ve have good counts in our favor and we have had swings on the baseball, and I think that is where we have been successful.”
A five-run second inning proved to be more than enough for the Titans. After scratching out a run in the first inning, the Titans followed it up with five in the second that began with a Colin White double and ended with six more Titan hits to record five runs.
O-G tacked on two more runs in the sixth.
Titan Carter Duling was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and Brad Maag went 2 for 3 with a run and 3 RBI. Maag drove a run in during the second and two in the fifth. Brandon Warnecke went 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Ty Buckland also drove in a run. Jayden Stechschulte scored three runs.
The bottom of the order was the key component of the Titans’ offense as the bottom four of White, Grant Leopold, Brad Maag and Jordan Metzer combined to go 4 for 10 with 3 RBI and five runs.
“It is a good thing when those guys at the bottom of the order bunt or get on bases. Those guys like Jordan Metzger who has been good all year long in the nine hole. He is like our second lead-off hitter and has done a good job down there for us.”
Reach Jose Nogueras at 567-242-0468.
