By: Joe Shouse, Sports Writer
So much was riding on the huge Green Meadows Conference showdown featuring Wayne Trace and Antwerp last Thursday. A conference title, state rankings, and county bragging rights, to name a few. When the dust settled it would be Wayne Trace who would claim the win; shutting out the Archers the first four innings before coasting to a surprising 13-4 win.
Antwerp entered the contest ranked No. 10 in the latest Division IV poll. The blue and white sported an 8-1 overall record and 5-0 in the Green Meadows Conference action. For the Raiders, who was 14-1 overall and 5-0 in league play entering the game was flying under the radar when it came to state rankings. Earlier in the season, back on April 5, both teams squared off in a non-conference contest in which the Archers handled the Raiders 3-1. But this game was about the GMC and sharing a title for now and then having the opportunity to win it outright a little later with a match up at Tinora. With the win the Raiders now have a share and it’s been a while–1987 to be exact. To put it in perspective, Raider Head Coach Ryne Jerome wasn’t born yet and his mother was in high school.
The Raiders jumped our early with four runs in the first inning and ballooned to a 8-0 advantage after four innings of play. The Archers made a little noise in the fifth frame with three runs but an inning later the red, white and blue struck with four runs to put the game away.
The Raiders scored in every inning with everyone playing contributing to the conference win. Raider hitter Cooper Wenzlick went 4-4 at the plate with three singles and a homerun while producing four RBIs. Kyle Forrer added three hits, none bigger than a two-out double in the first inning with bases loaded scoring two runs.
“Those two guys came to play tonight. Cooper has worked hard this season and it has really paid off. He goes to the plate mentally prepared and confident. He’s a big hitter for us. I was also proud of Kyle’s (Forrer) play tonight. In the first inning he had an error and he got a little frustrated with himself. He could have let that bother him but he came to the plate and got the huge double that got us going offensively,” said Raider Head Coach Ryne Jerome.
Winning pitcher for the red, white, and blue was Tyler Davis. The junior completed five innings allowing six hits, three runs, three earned, two walks ands seven strike outs.. In relief, Forrer finished up with two innings of work allowing one run while striking out three.
“Tyler did a great job for us. He battled through and competed. He responded well and made some big pitches. Every time he gave up a walk or hit a batter he would get the next batter out. He did the job and Kyle in relief came through for us at the end,” said Jerome.
In the last inning Antwerp had one final opportunity at the plate. But the Raiders had a answer and again kept the from put any runs on the board.
“Their top four batters in their line-up are some of the best if not the best hitters in Northwest Ohio and we were facing their 2, 3, 4 batters but we got the job done. Our guts responded and played well but I also think our students and community in attendance also made a difference. They provided a great atmosphere and it was good to see so many out to watch the game, Jerome concluded.
For the Archers, Hunter Sproles started on the mound and went three innings allowing five hits, six runs, four earned, four strikeouts and two walks. Ethan Lichty pitched in relief for the blue and white. Leading hitters for the Archers were Luke Krouse with two singles and Sproles adding a double and single along with two RBIs.
Woodlan Girls Shutout Snider in Five
Panthers Fall to Wayne Trace in GMC match
Score by Innings:
Wayne Trace 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 = 4 runs, 9 hits, 3 errors
Paulding 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 = 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 errors
Winning Pitcher – Allen Minck (7 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks)
Losing Pitcher – Jacob Martinez (5 innings, 8 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks)
Other Paulding Pitcher – Reid Johanns (2 innings, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts)
Wayne Trace Hitters – Cale Winans (double, run, RBI), Kyle Slade (single), Cooper Wenzlick (double, run), Allen Minck (two singles, run, two RBI), Kyle Forrer (single), Tyler Davis (two singles, run), Evan Crosby (RBI), Breven Anderson (single)
Paulding Hitters – Sam Woods (single, run), Jacob Martinez (double, run), Logan Tope (two singles, RBI), Ethan Foltz (single)
Panthers hold off Bulldogs
Paulding rallied from a two-run deficit with five runs in the top of the sixth and then held off host Columbus Grove 11-10 for a non-league softball win Friday in Putnam County.
The Panthers jumped out to a 5-1 lead at the end of two frames but the Bulldogs scored once in the third and five times in the fourth to seize a 7-5 advantage.
Paulding, though, responded with a five-run sixth to go on top 10-7 but Columbus Grove answered with two runs in the home half to close within 10-9.
Each team then scored once in the seventh to hold on and record the 11-10 victory.
Zoe Valle had four hits, scored twice and drove in two runs for the Lady Panthers with Maci Kauser and Jocelynn Parrett picking up two hits apiece. Jalyn Klopfenstein, Alivya Bakle and Brooklynn Bakle also had a hit each for Paulding.
Brooklynn Bakle scored three times for the maroon and white with Parrett and Klopfenstein driving in two runs apiece.
Klopfenstein also got the victory on the mound, throwing four innings in relief giving up eight hits, five runs (one earned) and a walk. Riley Stork started for the Lady Panthers, surrendering three hits, five runs (two earned) and two walks with one strikeout.
Rams rally to nip Panthers
Casen Wolfrum hit a one-out single in the top of the eighth to score Cole Commisso and the Tinora Rams made that run stand up to post a 3-2, eight-inning, win over Paulding in Green Meadows Conference baseball play Thursday evening.
With the win, the Rams keep alive their GMC title hopes in improving to 12-1 overall and 5-1 in the league.
Tinora, which trailed 1-0 entering the top of the seventh, scored twice in the inning to take a 2-1 lead before Paulding rallied to knot the game at 2-2 in the home half of the frame.
That set up the winner for the Rams, who will host league unbeaten Wayne Trace Wednesday afternoon in a battle for the conference championship.
Commisso led the green and white offense with three singles while Wolfrum added a pair of hits. Nolan Schafer and Tristan Birks also had singles for Tinora.
Sam Woods and Kane Jones each ripped a single and a double for Paulding with Jacob Martinez, Logan Tope, Ethan Foltz, Casey Agler and Peyton Adams also getting one hit each.
Schafer got the win for the Rams, pitching all eight-inning allowing nine hits, two runs (one earned) and two walks with eight strikeouts. Woods suffered the loss for the Panthers, giving up seven hits, three earned runs and two walks while fanning five in tossing eight innings on the mound.
Lady Panthers take the win against Raider softball!
Wayne Trace 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 = 1 run, 5 hits, 1 error
Paulding 3 0 0 0 1 0 x = 4 runs, 8 hits, 0 errors
Winning Pitcher – Jalyn Klopfenstein (7 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 6 strikeouts, 7 walks)
Losing Pitcher – Logen Bland (6 innings, 8 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 1 strikeout, 2 walks)
Paulding Hitters – Maci Kauser (single, run), Jocelynn Parrett (single, double, two runs, RBI), Jalyn Klopfenstein (RBI), Alivya Bakle (single, RBI), Riley Stork (run), Katie Beckman (single, double, RBI), Zoe Valle (single), Eternity Bassler (single)
Wayne Trace Hitters – Tatum Tigner (run), Macy Doster (double), Kaitlin Slade (double), Paige Alber (RBI), Alivia Miller (single), Logen Bland (double), Ava Zartman (single)
Flying Jets shut down Warriors
Madelynn Hill threw only 74 pitches in seven innings of work and limited the Woodlan Lady Warriors to two hits in leading the Adams Central Flying Jets to a 6-0 victory in ACAC softball play Tuesday night.
Hill, who struck out three Warrior hitters, threw 55 strikes on the night and tossed only 19 balls in the game.
Hill also led Adams Central at the plate with three singles and two runs scored while Melina Peralez adding a single, a run scored and two runs batted in. Jenna Cook, Megan Byerly and Kaylen Sprunger all recorded a single as well for the Flying Jets.
Libby Fisher and Alyssa Harvey each posted a single for the Lady Warriors.
Austin Gaff tossed the first four frames for the Lady Warriors, giving up four hits, six runs (three earned) and five walks while fanning five strikeouts. Libby Fisher pitched three innings for Woodlan, allowing three hits and three walks.
The Left Turn
By: Ron Burt
Northwest Ohio has always been a hotbed for racing fans and with my weekly column, I will try to keep you informed on big races coming to area tracks. I will cover dirt and asphalt tracks each week. Some of you might think a few tracks I will be covering are a long drive from Paulding County and northwest Ohio, but for diehard race fans, they don’t think about distance when it comes to good short track racing.
Several tracks have already opened and held races and fans braved the cold the first several weeks. Attica Raceway Park has eight race nights in the book. This track is just east of Tiffin and is known for running the 410-winged sprints but Friday May 6th the UMP Late Models headline the show with $3000. to win the feature. 305-sprints and race trucks will also be racing. May 20th, the World of Outlaw sprints will be at Attica, $10,000.00 to win. Mark your calendar!
The action track, Fremont Speedway, runs on Saturday nights and they normally race 410-winged sprints, 305’s and race trucks but this summer they’ll bring in some other classes on race nights. I personally am looking forward to June 11th and 12th when All Star Week gets two nights on this track. Fremont Motor Speedway is on Hwy 6 and a great stop on the way home from Lake Erie. They have an excellent racing hall of fame museum at the track included in your ticket price.
The Big E, Eldora opened, Tuesday April 26th with Flo Racing Night in America. The dirt late model race was nonstop action with California native, Kyle Larson getting the checkered flag and taking home over $22,000.00 in first place prize money. North Carolina’s, Austin Holcombe held off David Stremme to win the modified feature, and the stock car feature went to Nick Bowers. If you like sprints you don’t want to miss May 6th & 7th World of Outlaws and USAC weekend at Eldora.
Two pavement tracks have already opened. Galesburg Michigan is one of the favorite tracks for northwest Ohio asphalt drivers and local race fans. They hosted the $5010.00 to win Todd Foote Memorial this past weekend and next week I will have the recap. South Bend Motor Speedway is another Midwest historic track that brings in top drivers during the summer. They opened their season on April 23rd with the Outlaw Late Models headlining the show. Tracks getting ready to open include Limaland, Gas City and Kokomo all dirt tracks and on the pavement side, Angola, Toledo, Sandusky, Flat Rock, Berlin, and Plymouth (now paved again). I can’t cover them all every week, but this column will try and cover the big races and mention those feature winners. Ron Out!
MINCK, WENZLICK LEAD RAIDERS IN COME BACK WIN
By: Joe Shouse, Sports Writer
Playing their fourth game in as many nights Wayne Trace needed an extra inning to slip past Crestview last Friday 8-7. Senior Allen Minck smacked a single in the deciding inning to score Kyle Slade for the game winner. With the win the Raiders improve their season mark 16-1 while winning their last 12 in a row. The red, white, and blue will be at Tinora to battle the Rams on May 8 for the out-right GMC title with a win.
The Raiders trailed by as many as five runs late in the contest but used a huge sixth inning to punch win number 16. In the fifth frame the red, white, and blue started with a Slade double with power hitter Cooper Wenzlick reach first on an internal walk. Up next doer the Raiders, Kyle Forrer, responded with a single to advance Slade to home to put the Raiders a little closer but still trailing 6-2.
With the gap closed slightly by the Raiders, Crestview would come right back with another run in the top of the sixth. A Carson Hunter single quickly turned in the Knights favor as the Raiders committed an error allowing Hunter to move to third. Connor Sheets answered for Crestview; driving Hunter in on a sacrifice fly to right field to regain their five-run margin 7-2. However, the bottom of the sixth became a huge game changer for the Raiders.
The sixth inning fireworks started with a Breven Anderson single followed by back-to-back singles by Cale Winans and Tucker Antoine to load the bases and no outs. Kyle Slade came up huge as he worked the Crestview pitcher to draw a walk, scoring Anderson from third and the bases still occupied. Cooper Wenzlick stepped to the plate and wasted little time. Taking the first pitch, the sophomore sent the ball over the wall for a grand slam to bring the score even at seven apiece.
Crestview was shut down in the seventh as well as the eighth innings — setting up the Raiders eighth inning winning combination — Minck’s single scoring Slade for the game winner.
In the hitting department Wenzlick continued to be hot at the plate with a single, double, and homerun while recording five RBIs. Slade delivered three RBIs along with a double while teammate Tucker Antoine finished with two singles and scored twice. Winans, Forrer and Tyle Davis each added a single.
Breven Anderson secured the win for the Raiders on two innings pitched, allowing no hits and striking out two. Also pitching for the Raiders were Winans and Antoine. Ayden Lichtenstiger delivered two innings of work for the Knights and tool the loss while allowing one run, two walks and two strikeouts.
Zolman’s no-no lifts Rams to GMC title
Scylea Zolman tossed a no-hitter at Paulding and the Tinora Lady Rams wrapped up an undisputed Green Meadows Conference softball championship with a 1-0 win over the Panthers Thursday night.
The victory improved the Rams to 6-0 in league play and 12-3 overall. Coupled with Wayne Trace’s 4-2 loss to Antwerp as well Thursday night, the green and white claimed an outright conference championship.
Zolman struck out 13 Panther hitters in getting the win, giving up just one walk.
Tinora didn’t get much offense but a Logan McQuillin home run in the top of the sixth was the difference and provided the only run of the contest.
Tanae Smith added two singles for the Rams with Anna Frazer, De’Vona Holmes and Quinn Horn also singling.
Jalyn Klopfenstein suffered the loss for the Lady Panthers, surrendering six hits, one earned run and four walks while striking out four.
Ten run first propels Warriors over North Side
A ten-run first inning propelled visiting Woodlan to a 22-0 rout of host North Side Friday evening in non-league softball action.
The Warriors followed up that tremendous start with five more in the second before adding two in the third and five in the fourth to complete the 22-0 win.
Briana Roney led a 26-hit Woodlan attack with five hits, including a pair of doubles while scoring three times.
Alivia Ulmer added a home run, a double and two singles while driving in three runs and Alyssa Harvey chipped in a home run and two singles to go along with four runs batted in and three runs scored. Austin Gaff finished with two home runs and a single, driving in seven runs and scoring twice.
Libby Fisher aided the cause with a double and a home run, scoring twice and driving in two runs. Jade Lichty, Abigal Cowan and Avah Smith all recorded two hits while Mya Jones, Adrienne Spieth and Lillian Riley picked up one hit each.
Austin Gaff got the win on the hill for Woodlan, pitching a five-inning no-hitter with 11 strikeouts and one walk.
Archers run-rule Eagles
After a disappointing loss to Wayne Trace on Thursday, the Antwerp baseball team rebounded with a 17-5 victory over Fayette Friday night in Paulding County.
The blue and white started the game with a ten-run first inning to take control and never let up, scoring four more times in the second.
Fayette broke up the shutout with a five-run fourth but Antwerp put up three more in the home half of the frame to wrap up the contest.
Parker Moore, Luke Krouse, Ethan Lichty and Carson Altimus all recorded two hits for the Archers while Reid Lichty, Eli Reinhart, Aiden Lichty, Hunter Sproles and Chase Clark picked up one each.
Chase Clark pitched three innings to get the win for Antwerp, striking out five and walking one.
Raiders, Panthers win Archer Invite
The Wayne Trace girls and Paulding boys captured team titles at the Antwerp Junior High Track Invitational Friday night on a cold, windy and long evening.
Trailing by five points entering the last race, the Lady Raiders took first in the 1600 relay and catapulted to the team title with 107-1/2 points on the night. Ayersville, which led the meet prior to the last race, did not score in the final event and settled on a second-place finish with 102-1/2 points.
The quartet of Aubree Miller, Amber Stoller, Lexi Moore and Abby Elkins combined to post a time of 5:00.04 to lift Wayne Trace to the team title and take first in the 1600 relay.
Wayne Trace’s quartet of Careen Winans, Aubrie Longstreth, Miley Jacobs and Caroline Winans took first in the 400 relay with a time of 56.96 seconds and the Raiders’ Lexi Moore won the 200 hurdles in 32.37 seconds and the high jump with a leap of 4-8.
The red, white and blue’s Aubree Miller captured the 800 run in 2:51.12 while Caroline Winans took first in the 200 dash with a time of 28.65 seconds.
Paulding was third at 82-1/3 points with Antwerp taking ninth at 30 points.
In the boys meet, the Panthers totaled 89 points to get past second place Fairview’s 73 and third place Fayette’s 72. Antwerp was sixth with 66 points and Wayne Trace finished tenth with 22.
The Archers’ Zaine McMichael won the 110 hurdles in a new meet record time of 17.31 seconds and captured the pole vault with a new meet record leap of 9-0.
Lance Whitman of Wayne Trace also leaped 5-4 to win the high jump.
Heritage rolls past Southern Wells
Host Heritage scored in every inning and the Lady Patriots rolled to a 15-0 win over Southern Wells Thursday night in ACAC softball play.
The Lady Patriots scored twice in the first, six times in the second, two in the third and five more in the fourth to wrap up the victory.
Heritage pitchers Lucy Buuck and Ella Bickel combined to allow singles to only Brittany Costello and Cheyenne Neuenschwander while striking out three and walking one.
Shelby Schane had three hits for the Patriot offense and Danica Fuller added a pair of hits. Libby Cain, Kendall Zelt, Abriyah James, Caylen Schane, Claire Bickel, Buuck, Lydia Schultz, Raelyn Mullins and Avi Washington all had a hit apiece.
