The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

Lancers clinch third straight NWC title

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Make it three straight Northwest Conference baseball championships and four in five seasons for Lincolnview.

In a pitchers duel, the No. 4-ranked Lancers (15-3, 8-0 NWC) clinched the 2023 outright title with a 3-0 home win over rival Crestview on Thursday. Lincolnview hasn’t lost a conference game since the 2019 season.

Lincolnview’s Chayse Overholt scores a run against Crestview. Bob Barnes/Van Wert independent

“I think it shows how hard our kids and assistant coaches work,” head coach Eric Fishpaw said. “Offseason, in-season, late night text conversations and strategy. Our program is built with amazing assistant coaches and some hardworking gritty kids and I could be prouder to be on this journey with them.”

“Congratulations to Eric and the Lancers for winning their third straight NWC championship,” Crestview head coach Jim Wharton said. “A job well done.”

Lincolnview’s Dane Ebel pitched a complete game and held Crestview to just four hits while striking out 12 and walking just one. At the plate, he had three of his team’s five hits with an RBI, a fourth inning double that scored Cal Evans. Later in the inning, Chayse Overholt scored on a passed ball. Lincolnview’s other run came in the third when Caden Hanf scored on a Crestview error.

“Ebel had great command (on the mound) and at the plate,” Fishpaw said. “I thought Evan Miller and Austin Bockrath had great plays for us defensively. It was a great team win all around and I’m proud of our hardworking kids and staff.”

Carson Hunter pitched five innings and gave up all three runs (one earned), while striking out six and walking five. Hunter Jones, Bryson Penix, and Parker Speith each hit singles for Crestview, while Isaac Kline had a double.

“We needed to play a clean game and have clean innings and we didn’t unfortunately,” Wharton said. “We will continue to work next week to clean up our mistakes and be a better team moving forward into the tournament. We will learn a lot from a game like this with the atmosphere which we played tonight.”

Both coaches agreed it was a tournament-style atmosphere.

The Lancers will host Coldwater today and the Lancers will entertain Antwerp on Tuesday.

Box score

Knights 000 000 0 – 0 4 2
Lancers 001 200 x – 3 5 1

Crestview (ab-r-h-rbi): Carson Hunter 3-0-0-0; Nate Lichtle 3-0-0-0; Hunter Jones 2-0-1-0; Bryson Penix 3-0-1-0; Isaac Kline 3-0-1-0; Parker Speith 3-0-1-0; Holden Thornell 2-0-0-0; Levi Grace 2-0-0-0; Preston Kreischer 1-0-0-0

Lincolnview (ab-r-h-rbi): Chayse Overholt 3-1-1-0; Dane Ebel 4-0-3-1; Austin Bockrath 4-0-0-0; Caden Hanf 3-1-0-0; Jack Dunlap 1-0-0-0; Trey Evans 0-0-0-0; Evan Miller 2-0-0-0; Brandon Renner 3-0-0-0; Myles Moody 1-0-1-0; Cal Evans 0-1-0-0; Luke Bollenbacher 2-0-0-0; Holden Price 0-0-0-0

POSTED: 05/04/23 at 9:58 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports