FINDLAY — Perrysburg senior pitcher Will Rettig tossed a complete-game one-hitter as the Yellow Jackets defeated Sylvania Southview, 7-1, in a Division I district semifinal Wednesday.
Rettig struck out seven, walked five, and the only run the Cougars scored was unearned. Rettig threw 113 pitches, including 73 for strikes, while facing 27 batters through seven innings.
Rettig had a no-hitter working for him until Southview senior Paul McGowan reached on an infield single — a roller that hugged the third base line in the sixth inning.
On the artificial turf at Liberty-Benton High School, the 6-foot-5 Rettig made it look effortless.
“That’s what he does — he goes out and pounds the strike zone and he did that today. All his pitches were working,” Perrysburg coach Dave Hall said.
“Even the ones he missed on were pretty good pitches that they had to look at hard. That’s what we thought he could do, that’s what he’s been doing all year. That’s why he’s one of the best guys we have on our team.”
Hall says Rettig, who throws in the mid-80s, reminds him of one of Perrysburg’s all-time greats.
“He throws a lot of off-speed, but when you are 6-foot-5 you are on top of it anyways,” Hall said. “He reminds me a lot of Burke Badenhop, who I had pitch in the majors. He’s just nice and smooth and there is no wasted motion.”
However, if you ask Rettig, he will tell you that it was his defense that got the job done, and they did so, making just one error.
“Honestly, it was just having the ability to trust in my defense. Having guys back there like that, I think, helps me be confident I can throw pitches and throw them for strikes,” Rettig said.
“I know that if they put the ball in play, they are going to make plays behind me.”
Only three batted balls got out of the infield, and all three were caught by Perrysburg junior center fielder A.J. Bernthisel or senior right fielder Ryan Thompson.
Perrysburg senior shortstop Connor Walendzak got the most work, handling six ground balls successfully, including one that led to a double play.
However, Walendzak had the error on a tough grounder that led to Southview’s only run in the second inning.
“It’s all good. Errors happen, it is part of the game, but he’s a great ballplayer,” Rettig said.
Offensively, Perrysburg scored four runs in the first and two in the third to grab an early 6-1 lead. Hall likes it when his team gets out in front early.
“It’s big. We did that all week,” Hall said. “We scored six on them (Southview) Monday (11-0 Perrysburg Northern Lakes League win) and we scored six on Springfield (10-2 NLL win) in the third yesterday,” Hall said.
“It sets the trend and makes it easier for the pitcher. I think hitting is contagious. When the first couple guys get hits then it is easier for the next couple guys to do it.
“Then, we ran the bases like crazy and we bunted like crazy like we usually do,” Hall continued.
Walendzak was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs as the Jackets pounded out 11 hits, junior Matt Gast was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI, and senior Kanyon Gagich was 2-for-4.
Seniors Max Heltsel and Jacob Zilles and junior T.J. Takats had base hits, and the Jackets were 7-for-7 in stealing bases.
Bernthisel and Walendzak had two stolen bases apiece and Gagich, Heltzel and senior Ben Robeson had one SB each. Robeson reached twice after getting hit by a pitch.
Senior Oliver Theiss pitched the entire game for the Cougars, striking out four and walking one while taking the loss.
Perrysburg, 23-5 and NLL outright champions will now be looking to win a district championship when they return to L-B today, where they will play Northview at 5 p.m.
“We just have to continue it because the next two teams are pretty good too,” Hall said.
Rettig added, “It’s really good. We’re looking ahead now to the next game and it’s real important that it is the one we want to get next.”
