By Nicholas Huenefeld

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

ROSSFORD — The Bowling Green baseball team survived a late-inning scare on Saturday to pick up an 11-9 road win over Rossford.

The Bobcats had just scored three runs to build a 10-0 lead through five and a half innings and were on the verge of clinching a run-rule victory, but Rossford pushed across nine runs in the sixth inning on eight hits and a pair of walks.

“We came in and did exactly what we were trying to do in regard to seeing some kids play some spots they haven’t played,” BG coach Fred Riggs said. “We brought up some JV kids to pitch today, and two of them pitched well. It just happens one kid threw the perfect speed for them, and give Rossford credit, they hit the ball.”

Rossford had the potential game-tying run on second base with two outs, but Josh Kunstmann secured a strikeout to end the threat.

The Bobcats added an insurance run the next half inning on a double from Carter Earl, who was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs knocked in.

“I think we stayed true,” Riggs said. “We didn’t give in. We had that one-run lead, and we came out and scored another run in the top half of the seventh and then shut them down. I think the resilience of the team, the camaraderie and the closeness are all there. It’s a good test, a good thing for us to have to deal with that as opposed to an 11-0 win. I’d rather have (a win) with a little adversity. It’s just more learning for us.”

Despite those three hits from Earl, Bowling Green produced its damage on just five hits as a team with Brent Boston and Joe Kline picking up the other two. Overall, the Bobcats drew 14 walks from eight different players, led by three from Will Brose.

That wasn’t lost on Rossford coach Marc Diels.

“Once again, our pitchers have to get ahead of hitters,” Diels said. “We have to attack the zone. We’re just way to passive attacking the zone right now. That’s why we gave up all the runs we did.”

In the nine-run sixth, Rossford put the first six batters on base to open the inning while recording six run-scoring base hits, an RBI groundout and an RBI walk. The rally was punctuated by a two-run double from Quintan Borden that pulled the Bulldogs within a run.

“Offensively, we just couldn’t get anything going until the sixth, then things exploded, and we made things exciting,” Diels said. “It was good that the kids hung in there and supported each other.

“We made it interesting, but again, if we don’t attack the zone better as a pitching staff early on … you can’t get down 10, 11 to nothing and expect nine runs an inning, so we have to do better at that.

Bowling Green, who has won three straight with Saturday’s victory, had a shutdown performance on the mound from Andrew Claypool, who allowed just one hit and three walks over the first five innings.

“(Claypool) has struggled in past outings, but today he was on,” Riggs said. “I loved it. That was huge for him, and he’s going to be huge for us come tournament time.”

Cash Wisniewski finished off the seventh 1-2-3 for a save.

“All in all, we stayed on schedule with what we were trying to do and got all our pitchers some work,” Riggs said. “We got some guys in key spots. I put my defense back in the field at the end of the game, but we always say whoever is in there, we expect success.”