Cavs outlast Bulldogs

COLDWATER - Monday's Mercer County baseball battle between Celina and Coldwater had a little bit of everything: a pitcher's duel, strange ways to record putouts and a mix of great and not-so-great defensive efforts.

In the end, Coldwater scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning and then held off the Bulldogs in the top of the seventh for a 2-1 win at Veterans Field to give Cavaliers' coach Brian Harlamert his 400th career win at his alma mater.

The way the game was going, the possibility of a team winning without even getting a base hit was likely because of the way the Coldwater's Dylan Thobe and Celina's Seth Lonsway were matching goose egg for goose egg through the first five innings.

"When you get Seth Lonsway, it's going to be a close game," coach Harlamert said after getting cupcakes and the traditional celebratory bath from the water cooler. "Dylan matched him pitch for pitch. It says a lot about the heart of Dylan to go out and match a very good pitcher in Seth. Good pitching on both sides."

"We wanted a big-time game. These guys always get amped for Coldwater," Celina coach Andy Mikesell said.

Thobe did not walk a batter and struck out just one, coming in the seventh inning, while allowing just five hits on the game. While the Cavaliers made several big defensive plays to keep the Bulldogs from scoring, they also committed three errors.

Lonsway, who has struggled in some games this season, had his best outing by far in 2016. Lonsway had nine strikeouts through four innings and did not allow a baserunner past second base through five innings. The Bulldogs committed four errors, but catcher Isaiah Eichler threw out three Cavaliers trying to steal and when Petey Post tried to take third base after an errant pickoff throw by Lonsway, first baseman C.J. Kimmel threw a laser to third to get out Post.

In the bottom of the sixth, Kyle McKibben led off with a walk. Aaron Harlamert bunted McKibben to second to bring up Malave Bettinger. After getting a strike, Lonsway plunked Bettinger with a pitch to send him to first. With Kraig Schoenherr up, Lonsway uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners up 90 feet and then shortly thereafter threw another to bring McKibben home and send Bettinger to third. Schoenherr followed with a single to right-center for the first Cavalier hit of the game and drove home Bettinger to make it 2-0.

"Our mistakes cost us a little more than theirs," Mikesell said. "Four errors don't tell the whole story. We had more mental mistakes than that. You can't do that against a good team."

Mikesell called on Kevin McGohan to end the trouble. Eichler did his part by throwing out a stealing Schoneherr at second, which proved big as Jack Hemmelgarn doubled. Thobe grounded out to short to end the inning.

"We got a walk, a hit batter and a ball in the dirt in front of Eichler to get an (extra) base," coach Harlamert said. "Great job by Kyle to get a great jump. Next pitch goes to the backstop. Sometimes being aggressive pays off."

Thobe gave up a single to Eichler to start the top of the seventh before striking out Kimmel. McGohan hit a liner down the third base line, but Post made a solid effort to keep Eichler at second, a move that proved to be a huge play as catcher Harlamert threw down to second to pick off a leaning Eichler for the second out of the inning. After a balk, Lonsway doubled in McGohan to make it 2-1 but Thobe bowed his back and enticed Nathan Kirk to fly to left to end the game.

"That's one thing (about the team), we don't go down quietly," Mikesell said. "That's a good thing about this team."

"Dylan threw three innings Friday and we were hoping to get 3-4 (innings) out of him today," coach Harlamert said. "He gave us seven."

Both teams are in league play today. Coldwater travels to New Bremen in MAC play and Celina hosts Ottawa-Glandorf.