New Bremen sweeps twinbill
From staff reports The area baseball teams wrapped up the 2022 regular season with games on Saturday and Monday.
New Bremen 12, Riverside 5 New Bremen 10, Riverside 6
NEW BREMEN — New Bremen recorded a sweep in a doubleheader with visiting Riverside in non league play on Saturday.
The wins give the Cardinals an overall mark of 13-9 heading into the postseason tournament.
In game one, Colton Muether pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. He had no walks and struck out five. Nick Alig finished up with 2 2/3 innings, holding Riverside to two hits. He struck out three.
Alig also had three hits, two of them doubles, and drove in four runs from the leadoff spot. Aaron Thieman had two hits and two walks, bringing in two runs. Tate Roetgerman added two hits.
Alig’s first double led off the bottom of the first. He stole third and scored on a hit by Vince Hulse. Hulse swiped second, and came around on Thieman’s first hit.
Riverside tied it with two runs in the top of the third on a sac fly and groundout.
The Cardinals answered in the home half. Ben Sailer singled, stole second, and moved to third on a groundout.
Thieman walked. He stole second and the throw was offline, allowing Sailer to go home. Thieman later scored on a passed ball.
Two singles and a sac bunt added a run in the third for New Bremen.
The Pirates again drew even with three runs in the top of the fifth.
New Bremen roared right back, this time with six runs. They sent 11 men to the plate, using singles by Busse and Thieman, walks to Nolan Kuenning, Roetgerman and Muether, a three-run double by Alig, and an RBI groundout by Hulse.
Thieman walked and scored in the sixth to make it a dozen runs.
——— In game two, Busse went the distance on the mound, allowing six runs on nine hits. He walked three and struck out five.
Sailer had the big bat with three hits, along Busse (two hits, 3 RBIs) and Thieman (two-run double). Also driving in runs were Alig, Trevor Bergman, and Kuenning.
The visitors struck first with a run in their first at-bat.
New Bremen jumped ahead with seven in the home half. They loaded the bases on two walks and a single. An error allowed Alig and Sailer to score, a sacrifice by Bergman drove in Hulse. Hits by Kuenning and Alig made it 5-1. Two more scored during a dropped third strike.
Riverside got two in the second, one in the fourth and two in the fifth.
A run for the Cardinals in the fourth on hits by Sailer and Busse kept them ahead by two.
In the sixth, Sailer and Hulse singled with one out. They advanced on a fly ball to left, then came across on a double by Thieman.
New Bremen will face Perry in a sectional game today at Perry. The winner faces either St. John’s or Fort Recovery in a sectional final Thursday.
——— Minster 2, Troy Christian 1
TROY — On Saturday, Minster edged Troy Christian in a non league road game.
The Wildcats got a run in the fourth and one in the sixth, with the Eagles scoring in the seventh.
Combining on the mound were starter Johnny Nixon, with Nathan Beair and Brandon Lickteig coming out of the bullpen. Beair got the win.
Nixon threw three innings, allowing two hits and one walk. Beair worked 1 2/3, walking three. Lickteig had the final 2 1/3, giving up one run on three hits and two walks. Nixon struck out one and Lickteig had 4 Ks.
Nathan Oldiges had three hits, Zach Fortman
had two, and Nixon hit a double.
After three scoreless innings, Nixon led off the fourth with a double to center. The next two hitters were retired. Alex Schmitmeyer singled to right bringing Nixon in.
With Beair on the mound, Troy Christian loaded the bases on a hit batter and two walks with one out. A force out at home and a groundout got the Wildcats out of the jam.
TC again loaded the bases in the fifth on a walk and hit batter by Beair, then a walk by Lickteig. That was with two outs, and Lickteig got a strikeout looking to preserve the lead.
Fortman opened the sixth with a double, advanced on a groundout and scored on Oldiges’ single to left.
The Eagles left two men on in the sixth and seventh.
Score by innings
Minster 000 101 0 -- 2 7 1 Troy Christian 000 000 1 -- 1 5 1 ———
Versailles 12, Minster 2
VERSAILLES — Minster ended the regular season on Monday with a 10-run loss to host Versailles. The game ended after six innings.
Minster finishes 4-5 in MAC play and 15-9 overall.
The Tigers scored in every inning but the second.
Minster got its runs in the top of the fourth.
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Alex Schmitmeyer started and pitched 2 2/3, allowing six runs on five hits and three walks. Brady Wolf threw the other 2 1/3, surrendering four runs on four hits and two walks. Each had one strikeout.
The Tigers scored one in the first, then put up five in the third.
Minster loaded the bases with one away in the third on a hit by Eli Rindler, a walk to Tyler Stueve and a hit by Logan Kohne. A flyout and groundout ended the chance.
In the fourth, Schmitmeyer was hit and Fortman walked. After a pitching change, a wild pitch let the runners advance. A hit up the middle by Olidges brought Schmitmeyer across. Fortman scored on a groundout by Rindler.
Versailles answered with six more runs, with the final two scoring with no outs in the sixth.
Minster hosts Elmwood in the Division III sectionals on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The winner goes to a sectional final on Friday.
Score by innings
Minster 000 200 -- 2 3 3
Versailles 105 312 -- 12 10 0
Marion Local 11, New Knoxville 1
NEW KNOXVILLE — The Rangers finished the regular season on Saturday with a league loss to Marion Local.
New Knoxville was 0-9 in league action and 1-16 overall. The win came over Spencerville.
Against the Flyers, Preston Rutschilling took the loss. He allowed nine hits and 11 runs with five strikeouts. Max Henschen got the final out of the fifth.
Rutschilling and Jay Waterman had the hits for the Rangers. They scored in the first at-bat.
New Knoxville faces Marion Local again today in a Divison IV sectional at 5 p.m., with the game in Maria Stein. The winner faces St. Henry.
Score by innings
Marion Local 322 04 -- 11 9 New Knoxville 100 00 -- 1 2
Fort Recovery 9, St. Marys 0
FORT RECOVERY — St. Marys was held to one hit in a non league defeat to Fort Recovery on Saturday afternoon.
The Indians scored two runs in the second, two in the third, then added four in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Calvin Caywood pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out three.
Joey Caldwell tossed 1 1/3 of relief, giving up one run.