Cougars to play for WBL title share

Van Wert independent sports

After Friday’s 3-1 win over St. Marys Memorial, Van Wert is one game away from sharing the 2021 Western Buckeye League baseball championship with Defiance.

All of the game’s runs were scored in the first inning, with the Roughriders scoring the initial run when Adam Tobin scored on a single by Brayden Sullivan.

Jacob Place began the bottom of the first with a walk, followed by a TJ Stoller’s bunt. Owen Treece followed up with a single, Ethan Rupert was hit by a pitch then two batters later, Stoller and Treece scored on a Roughrider error, then Luke Wessell singled and drove in Rupert.

Both teams had chances to score during the remainder of the game as Van Wert left six runners on bases while St. Marys stranded 11.

Treece had two of Van Wert’s five hits and on the mound, the senior scattered eight hits over seven innings while striking out six.

Van Wert (20-4, 7-1 WBL) will travel to Kenton for the WBL finale today (1 p.m. game).