BASEBALL: Ottawa Topples Findlay For 3rd Straight Win

FINDLAY, OH – For the second time in less than a week the Ottawa Legion were victorious against their rivals from Findlay, this time in late game fashion 7-5.

With the ballgame tied at 5-5 heading to the top of the 9th inning the 63rd sent eight batters to the plate against the duo of Angel Garcia and Tyler Lydick and pushed across a pair of runs to break the deadlock.

Austin Horstman began the barrage for Ottawa when he led off with a single before being moved over by Dylan Schroeder. After a sacrifice bunt from Grant Fuerst moved the runners over to second and third base respectively they were quickly loaded as pinch-hitter Mike Bowers was hit by a pitch.

Chase Schrieber’s walk with the bases loaded and an RBI single by leadoff hitter Cole Niese would send the game to the final at bat with the visitors leading by two.

Leading off the inning the third pitcher for the Fighting 63rd on the evening Zane Martin struck out Trent Reichelderfer to open the frame and got Tyler St. Clair to ground out on a hard hit ball to first baseman Schroeder for the second out of the inning. Angel Garcia reached on the second Ottawa error in the game but the rally to be lasted just one more hitter as Martin would strike out Zach Kreais to end it and give his team a 7-5 victory, their third consecutive.

Ottawa’s big inning early on came in the fourth when they pushed across a pair of runs on four hits, singles by Horstman, Schroeder, and Grant Fuerst alongside a double by Martin to take a 2-1 lead.

Findlay took a 4-2 advantage in the bottom of the same fourth inning thanks to three hits and an Ottawa error but would hold the lead until just the seventh when the 63rd batted around their lineup and pushed ahead 5-4.

Not to be out done in the eighth inning the home team tied the score on a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield by Donovan Magill that brought Lydick across the plate for a 5-5 score.

Austin Horstman, Grant Fuerst, and Chase Schrieber all knocked in a pair of runs on the evening for Ottawa in the win.

After starting 0-7 on the year the Fighting 63rd have now picked up victories in their last three outings and will look to continue their winning ways on Sunday in Oak Harbor as they play a doubleheader beginning at 1pm and heard live on WZOQ Radio.

Findlay (4-3) will travel to Hillsboro as a part of the annual Wooden Bat Tournament where they will start off with Springfield on Friday before a trio of games the rest of the weekend against both Chillicothe squads and Waverly.

WP: Zane Martin (1-0) 1.2 IP, 0R, 2K, 0BB

LP: Tyler Lydick (0-2) 1.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 1K, 1BB

Content supplied by Michael Hirn of michaelhirn.com