The Antwerp Archers came into the state tournament with a 19-5 record after defeating Kalida in a 9 inning game at Patrick Henry for the Regional championship. Overall the season for the Antwerp boys has been highly positive with underclassmen and seniors alike taking leading roles on the field.
The boys were hoping to match the softball team with another state title after their big win last weekend, but it was not to be.
The game started late due to a previous game lasting nearly 4 hours.
Antwerp’s catcher Chase Clark started the evening getting the first out as the foul ball was hit off into the backstop net and rolled down into his glove. The Archers held the Toronto team team to no runs after the first inning.
By now dark was closing in on the game as the sun dropped below the horizon, casting a shadow on the home team. The Antwerp team had not played under the lights in the evening before and this was a new experience compared to the Red Knights who has lights on their home field.
The second inning started the bleed as Austin Lichty was pitching to senior Zac Berger who picked up a triple and an RBI to right field. The third inning continued the Toronto success with 2 more runs. By the seventh inning Antwerp’s Luke Krouse came in to pitch for the Archers. The Red Knights added four more runs to the board before the final out for Antwerp. The game finished 0-8 with Toronto moving the state championship game on Sunday.
Antwerp’s Cole Seslar, Austin Lichty, Blake Schuette and Dylan Hines all had singles for the eighth-ranked Archers, making their first state appearance in school history. The Toronto team made their second state appearance in three years. The Red Knights came back to the final game on Sunday to take the state title in a 3-1 score.
Score by the Innings:
Toronto – 0 1 2 1 0 0 4=8; 10H, 0E
Antwerp – 0 0 0 0 0 0 0=0; 4H, 2E
