Cougars hang on against Blue Jays

VW independent sports

ELIDA — No. 1 seed Van Wert withstood a late surge by Delphos St. John’s to win Thursday’s Acme district semifinal 3-2 at Elida.

The Cougars led 3-0 entering the bottom of the seventh but the Blue Jays quickly loaded the bases and scored on one-out back-to-back RBI singles by Brayden Pohlman and Brayden Conley. The hit by Conley put runners at the corners, but Luke Wessell, who came to relieve starting pitcher TJ Stoller was able to record the final two hours and preserve the victory for Van Wert (16-1).

Stoller pitched 6 1/3 innings and had a no hitter going into the seventh. In addition to giving up a pair of hits in the final frame, he struck out seven and walked just one and earned the win. Wessell pitched the remaining 2/3 inning and tossed just five pitches to earn the save.

The Cougars plated a pair of runs in the second on consecutive RBI singles by Sam Houg and Kaydin Doner, scoring Stoller and Kaden Shaffer. Blake Bohyer scored on a wild pitch in the top of the third.

Briston Wise accounted for two of Van Wert’s six hits.

The Cougars are scheduled to play either the Blue Jays or Elida at 1 p.m. Saturday, with the winner claiming the district title. Delphos St. John’s and the Bulldogs are scheduled to play at 6 tonight.