Behind senior pitcher Matt Hubbard’s pitching, and some timely early hitting, the Perrysburg baseball team held on to defeat Bowling Green, 3-2, Friday at Bobcat Field.
Hubbard allowed just five Bobcat hits, struck out four, and did not walk a battter in earning the complete game victory. Hubbard threw just 78 pitches, including five innings of 10 pitches or fewer.
Hubbard outdueled BG senior hurler Logan Neifer (3-3) who also pitched a solid game. Neifer allowed two earned runs over seven innings. He gave up seven hits, including three doubles, walked two, while fanning one.
The Yellow Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the first. Third baseman Brent Bezek led off the game with a hard bounder to left field. Shortstop Connor Kessinger then drew a full-count walk to put runners on first and second. Following a deep fly out to left, Hubbard helped his own cause, legging out a double when his fly ball to right fell toward the line scoring Bezek.
A failed suicide squeeze attempt resulted in Kessinger getting caught off third and a groundout to short ended any further damage.
PHS added a single tally in the second after the first two batters were retired on pop outs. Right fielder Landon Winters lined a double into the left field corner for a standup double. Number nine hitter, first baseman Parker Faris then hit a bomb to left field that ended up going through a hole at the bottom of the fence for a ground-rule double.
Neifer was able to get the next hitter to ground into a fielder’s choice to limit the Yellow Jackets to one run. Neifer in fact allowed just three base runners over the next four innings and one of those was cut down trying to steal third.
Hubbard’s second hit of the game, a single to center with one out in the sixth, ended a stretch of seven straight batters retired by Neifer.
BG got on the board in the fifth when junior backstop Carter Earl doubled to left. Senior left fielder Caleb Kunstmann moved Earl to second with his second sacrifice bunt in as many plate appearances. Kunstmann ended up reaching first on an errant throw by the pitcher which allowed Earl to score an unearned run. A double play, the second of the game turned by the Yellow Jackets, ended the innings.
PHS pushed its advantage back to two runs in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to center by Winters that scored center fielder Braxton Mefferd. Mefferd opened the frame with a perfect bunt down the third base line that he easily beat out. An interference call on the catcher was negated by the hit.
Mefferd then stole second and took third when the throw went into center field. PHS put two more runners on via another error and a base hit inside the bag at third by Kessinger, but BG was able to get out of further trouble.
BG made things interesting in its half of the seventh after the first two hitters were retired. Earl produced his second double of the game, virtually hitting the ball to the same location as his extra-base hit two innings prior. Earl’s hit ended a drought of seven consecutive batters retired by Hubbard.
The Bobcats were down to their last strike when Kunstmann singled on a 1-2 count to right, bringing home Earl. However, Kunstmann was left stranded when the game ended on a groundout to first.
After an 11-0 loss to Ottawa Hills on Saturday and 13-4 league loss to Clay in NLL action on Monday, BG falls to 9-9 overall and 4-6 in the Northern Lake League Cardinal Division.
On Saturday, in non-league action, three Perrysburg pitchers combined to shut out visiting Avon Lake, 8-0, at Jim Leyland Field.
Winters started, striking out four, walking one, and allowing four hits over four innings. Aaron Banks struck out two without allowing a hit over two innings, and Mefferd closed, striking out the side without allowing a base hit in the seventh.
At the plate, Hubbard had two doubles and two RBIs, Brayden Heitmeyer was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, Kessinger was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI, Winters was 2-for-2 with a triple and an RBI, and Abram Hire and Carter Stanton had base hits. Winters and Kessinger had stolen bases.
