FINDLAY — Fresh off a big non-conference win the day before at state-ranked Defiance, the Bowling Green High School baseball team suffered a tough 2-1 setback at Findlay on Friday in a Northern Lakes League cross-divisional game.
BG is now 7-6 overall and 2-4 in the NLL Cardinal Division.
The Bobcats jumped on the board early against the Trojans, scoring once in the top of the first. Junior second baseman Rhett Winger led off the contest with a slow tapper through the box for an infield single. He took second on an errant pickoff attempt with sophomore right fielder Kasey Dean at the plate, and soon scored when Dean sent a grounder through the hole to right.
Dean advanced to second on the play when the relay to the plate went wide. Following a strikeout, senior third baseman Braden Loomis reached on an infield bounder up the middle. A diving stop by sophomore second sacker Blade Wendt prevented the ball from getting to the outfield and saved a run.
Loomis then stole second putting both runners in scoring position with one out, but BG could not push across another tally.
Findlay senior hurler Austin Sertell would end up setting down nine straight Bobcats after the Loomis hit before junior catcher Carter Earl singled to left over a leaping shortstop with one out in the fourth. Earl would be quickly erased off the basepaths trying to steal.
BG would not threaten again until the sixth when the Bobcats put three straight batters on with one out. Dean reached on a walk. Senior pitcher Logan Neifer followed with a sharp infield single up the middle that hit the base umpire (dead ball), and another infield chop hit down the first base line by Loomis (that an indecisive Sertell threw late to first after briefly looking back Dean at third) loaded the bases.
However, the Bobcats left the bags occupied with the final out coming when senior first baseman Will Brose’s sharp grounder up the middle back of the bag was fielded by sophomore shortstop Matthew Guthrie for the final out. Guthrie was playing Brose perfectly and was able to get the force at second himself to end the potential rally.
FHS senior reliever Ben Best sent down the Bobcats 1-2-3 in the seventh to earn the save.
The Trojans collected 10 hits off BG starter Neifer (3-2), who fanned three and walked one in working his fourth complete game of the campaign.
FHS used four singles in the second, including three with two outs, to tie the game at 1-1. Wendt drove in the tying run with a RBI bounder to left field.
The Trojans pushed across what held up to be the game-winning run in the last of the sixth on a Bobcat throwing error. Senior Andrew Kayser led off the frame with a standup double that split the outfielders in right center
Sophomore third baseman Reece Stillings placed a perfect sacrifice bunt to the pitcher moving Kayser to third, but an errant throw trying to catch Kayser off third allowed the Trojans to push across the go-head score. A subsequent ground out to the right side and an infield hit to second would have scored the run anyway before a pop up to the pitcher ended the sixth.
Sertell got the win on the hill for FHS. He struck out six while issuing just one free pass and yielding six hits. Kayser paced the Trojans with three hits. Guthrie, Sertell, and sophomore left fielder Luke Crates each contributed two safeties.
BG resumes play on Monday and Tuesday with a two-game league series against Fremont Ross. Monday’s opener will be played in Fremont with the finale taking place in BG the following day. First pitch for both contests is set for 5 p.m.
