Flyers top Cougars by one run

In a game where the long ball helped Marion Local get back into the game, it was a bunt that helped the Flyers to a win.

After scoring six times in the third inning, four coming on Marcus Moeller's grand slam, the Flyers got the win on a squeeze bunt by Tyler Thobe in the fifth to make it 7-6.

Monte Imwalle's solid relief work made the one-run lead hold as the Flyers beat Van Wert in first-round play of the District 4 ACME tournament at Montgomery Park on Thursday.

The Flyers (10-6) face Wapakoneta in a winner's bracket semifinal on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Redskins (15-6) defeated Lehman 6-1 in Thursday's first game.

The Cougars (10-9), the winner from the Van Wert County sectional, comes back tonight to play an elimination game against Lehman at 8:15 p.m.

Both teams used the long ball to contribute to what looked to be a slugfest in the early going. The Cougars scored three times in the bottom of the second off Flyers starter Jarren Griesdorn with Cougar pitcher Tyler Putman helping his cause with a two-run single and later scoring as Brady Dunlap got into a rundown at first base, keeping safe long enough to allow the run to score.

The Flyers got back into the game in the third after Putman got the first two outs as Imwalle started the rally with a double. Nathan Thobe reached base safely on an infield single and Ben Smith brought Imwalle home with a single of his own and went to second on a wild throw to the backstop.

Jason Wolters walked to load the bases for Griesdorn, who saw five pitches and walked to bring in Thobe to make the score 3-2.

Moeller, whose nine home runs in the spring led the Grand Lake area, took a 3-1 offering from Putman over the new scoreboard in right-centerfield for a grand slam to give the Flyers a 6-3 lead. The Flyers sent 10 men to the plate and forced Putman, who threw a total off 22 pitches in the first two innings, to fire 48 pitches in the third.

"He's a great guy to have up there at that situation," said Marion Local coach Jay Thobe of Moeller. "He came through. He's done that all spring."

The Cougars wasted no time getting back into the game as Brock Thatcher led off the fourth frame with an infield single. After Craig Thomas flew out, Brock Bell launched a shot to right-center for a home run to make it 6-5. After Austin Andersen and Jordan Scheidt each singled, coach Thobe wasted no time bringing in the southpaw Imwalle.

Imwalle gave up back-to-back singles to Devin Beair, which got Scheidt out when the ball hit him en route to second, and Eric Miller, scoring Andersen. Imwalle got out of the inning with a ground out.

After the third, the Cougars could not string hits together as Imwalle allowed just two more hits over the final four innings of work, walking one and striking out three.

"He did a super job," said coach Thobe. "The last 3-4 games he's pitched really well. We felt confident with him coming in. Jarren was getting the ball up high, but did a good job, though."

"Offensively, we quit hitting after the third," said Van Wert coach Todd Dunlap. "You can't do that."

Putman returned for the fourth and got out with no trouble. In the fifth, Wolters got hit with a pitch with one out. Griesdorn went for the sacrifice bunt, but Miller could not pick up the ball at third. Moeller grounded to second, but Dunlap lost the ball trying to tag Griesdorn out, loading the bases for Tyler Thobe. On a 0-1 count, Wolters came sprinting home as Thobe successfully bunted down the first-base line. Putman got the throw to first for the out, but Wolters scored to make it 7-6.

"We had to do something that somehow would generate a run," said coach Thobe. "Just thought it was a good time to do it. It worked."

Putman finished the game with eight strikeouts and three walks in allowing eight Flyer hits.

In the bottom of the seventh, Thomas led off with a single, but Imwalle got Bell to ground to second and struck out Andersen before Scheidt grounded back to Imwalle, who threw to first to end the game.

Moeller went 2-for-4 with the four RBI and Nathan Thobe went 3-for-4 with a double.
Wapakoneta 6, Lehman 1

Mike Rosenbeck scattered six hits and struck out six as the Redskins advanced to the winner's bracket semis with a win over the top seed from Shelby County.

The Redskins scored once in the first and put the game away with three runs in the second and two more in the fourth off Cavaliers starter Adam Lenz, who went the distance and struck out five.

Rosenbeck helped himself at the plate, going 2-for-3. Mitch Beemer went 3-for-4 and scored two of the four Redskin runs.

Wil Vernon paced Lehman with a 2-for-3 game that included a triple.