Perrysburg junior pitcher Matt Hubbard. (Photo by Scott Grau/Sentinel-Tribune)
PERRYSBURG — Perrysburg took advantage of six Napoleon errors, defeating the Wildcats, 10-0, in six innings at Jim Leyland Field Monday.
Perrysburg improves to 7-5 overall and 2-2 in the league while the Wildcats fall to 7-4-1 and 1-3.
Of Perrysburg’s 10 runs, only one was charged to Napoleon pitchers. The Yellow Jackets even scored the walk-off mercy run in the bottom of the sixth when junior Trent Bezek scored on a throwing error.
The game started that way, too. Perrysburg leadoff hitter, junior designated hitter Logan Drewes, reached on an error, advanced to second on another error, and scored the game’s first run on yet another error in the bottom of the first.
“We started the first inning, and we threw the ball around and we made three errors on three pitches,” Napoleon coach Eric Sprague said.
“We didn’t come to play tonight. That’s what it comes down to, and it’s on me.”
Perrysburg junior pitcher Matt Hubbard got the win, striking out seven, walking two, and allowing two hits and no runs through five innings.
Hubbard also had to pitch a little extra to keep Napoleon off the board, overcoming three errors by the Yellow Jackets, totaling nine errors combined by both teams.
“Once he got to 90 (pitches) I thought that was too much for today,” Perrysburg coach Dave Hall said. “I was hoping to get him out of there at 80 or so.
“I think he did OK. It’s not good conditions (cold, windy) to pitch in for anybody. He made the pitches, and we made a couple plays when we had to and kept them off the board and they kicked the ball around.”
Hubbard added, “We had a good defense behind us, and I was hitting my spots a little bit. It was easy. I got a few third pitch (called) strikes. We also had some bats behind us, too.”
Perrysburg had three extra base hits, but most of their hitting came after Napoleon should have recorded the third out.
Perrysburg junior Quinn Weber belted a bases clearing double down the right field line to complete a four-run first inning.
In the fourth, the Jackets had the bases loaded again when senior Matt Gast scored on a passed ball, part of another four-run inning. Later that inning, Weber belted a two-RBI base hit to right field to finish with a five RBI night.
“Quinn got up with the bases loaded and he got the triple and then he got up with the bases loaded and we got the passed ball and the base hit for two (runs), so we at least hit when we got bases loaded,” Hall said.
However, because of the Wildcats’ fielding errors, the Jackets needed just seven hits to score 10 runs.
Perrysburg junior Parker Faris and senior Matt Gast doubled, and Bezek, junior Abram Hire, and Hubbard had base hits.
On the mound, junior Logan Drewes took over for Hubbard in the top of the sixth, and even though he walked Napoleon sophomore Parker Woods to open the inning, Weber, the catcher, threw out Woods trying to steal second and Drewes ended up facing the minimum three batters, striking out one.
Hall and Hubbard both believe the Yellow Jackets are starting to turn the corner.
“We are starting to get a little confidence,” Hall said. “We are still young, so we make some mistakes, but they are buying into what we are trying to teach.
“We struggled a little bit last week and we struggled Saturday, and then this week the two games we played, we played OK, so I think we’re in that progression. I think we’ll be OK.”
Hubbard, even though a junior, says he’s finding himself in a leadership role.
“We’re definitely getting better,” Hubbard said. “We only have a few guys returning and we’ve just got to play as smart as we can. Matt Gast, (senior pitcher) Nick Hartzell, (senior pitcher) T.J. (Takats) and I, I believe we have some work to do.”
Napoleon junior Jacob Shadle started on the mound, striking out three, walking one, and allowing five hits and five runs, but only one run was earned through three innings.
Napoleon sophomore Trey Rubinstein pitched three innings in relief, striking out three, walking two, and allowing two hits, but none of the five runs were earned.
Napoleon’s two hits were singles by Shadle and sophomore Owen Espinoza. Shadle reached scoring position twice, thanks to two stolen bases, and once was stranded on third after getting on base from a Perrysburg error. Rubinstein also reached on an error in the fifth and stole second and third, but was stranded there.
Sprague would have liked to see his team fare batter after defeating NLL foe Sylvania Southview one night earlier.
“We had a great win last night and just weren’t able to repeat that,” Sprague said. “We are better than what we showed tonight but give credit to Perrysburg. We got down and they made sure we stayed down.”
