Recap: Bollenbacher throws a no-hitter

VW independent sports

Van Wert 5 Coldwater 4

At Russell Fisher Field, Van Wert rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Division III No. 3 Coldwater 5-4 on Thursday.

The Cougars scored all five of their runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Briston Wise opened the inning with a double then after a Kaden Shaffer walk, Brylen Parker loaded the bases with a single. Two batters later, Wise scored on a fielder’s choice, then Nate Gearhart singled in Shaffer and Case Stegaman to cut the deficit to one, 4-3. The next batter, Sam Houg provided the game winner by singling home Donovan Winkeljohn and Gearhart.

Coldwater scored a run in the third and three more in the fifth.

Shaffer pitched the first three innings and allowed a run (unearned) on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Hayden Dowler pitched the next pitched the next two innings and allowed three runs on six hits. Gearhart covered the remaining two innings and allowed two hits while striking out one.

Van Wert (11-9) will travel to Bryan to play the Golden Bears for the Division II sectional championship at 5 p.m. today.

Lincolnview 5 Ottoville 1

Lincolnview’s Luke Bollenbacher pitched his first complete game no-hitter and the second seeded Lancers captured a Division IV sectional championship with a 5-1 win over No. 9 seed Ottoville on Thursday.

Bollenbacher fanned 12 and walked two as Lincolnview improved to 18-6 on the season.

The Lancers scored three runs in the first, including two on an RBI single by Austin Bockrath. The remaining run came when Myles Moody scored on a Big Green error. Holden Price singled home Seth Brant in the fourth inning and Bockrath scored on a sacrifice fly by Reide Jackson in the fifth ining.

Bockrath, Chayse Overholt and Aiden Hardesty each had two hits for Lincolnview and Bockrath had a team high two RBI.

The Lancers will face No. 1 seed Leipsic in the district semifinals at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Patrick Henry.

Fort Recovery 2 Crestview 1

CONVOY — No. 6 seed Fort Recovery scored a pair of runs in the top of the third and the Indians held on to upset No. 2 seed Crestview 2-1 in the Division IV sectional finals on Thursday.

Crestview’s lone run came in the bottom of the third, when an RBI single by Hunter Jones plated Huxley Grose. The Knights were held to just four hits in the game. In his final game, Preston Kreischer pitched six innings and gave up two runs (none earned) on just three hits while striking out four and walking one. Bryson Penix pitched the remaining inning and gave up a hit while striking out two.

Crestview finished its season at 13-6.