By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WAUSEON (May 20, 2025) – Want to be successful offensively in baseball? Make sure you score runners in scoring position with less than two outs.
Wauseon did that early and often against Pettisville, then delivered the knockout punch with an eight-run fifth in a 13-3 run rule win over the Blackbirds.
“I think Pettisville is a pretty good team,” Wauseon coach Trent Thomas expressed. “They had some good approaches up at the plate, they have played a lot of people tough, and they were trying to save guys for their first tournament game, obviously throwing someone an inning here and there.”
“We finally got some balls on a line instead of in the air and it is good for our kids. The confidence level is pretty high going into tournament, and we are looking forward to that.”
The Indians jumped on top against Blackbird starter Rylan Warner in the first. Thad Reckner singled, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch with one down.
Braylon Miller walked and when he was stealing second in the first and third situation, the throw to the cutoff was wide allowing a run to score and Miller to go to third.
Max Russell’s grounder to second plated a run from third with one down to make it 2-0. Pettisville got those back in the top of the second against Kahle Albright.
A walk, a steal, Quinn Ripke’s bloop single, a fielder’s choice grounder and two more walks knotted the game and brought Izaak Conrad in from the bullpen.
Conrad battled through some wild streaks but gave up just one more unearned run in the fourth and two hits the rest of the way.
In the meantime, the Indians cashed in on even more situational hitting in the third. A walk and a hit batter put the first two Indians on for Reckner, and making an attempt to go the opposite field, Reckner got a big bonus with a two-run double to make it 4-2.
Reckner got to third on the throw to the plate and Albright cashed him in with a fly ball to give the Indians a three-run margin.
“You know what, we struggled early in the season getting people across and these kids kept working at it and working at it,” Thomas said.
“It’s a credit to our players, and again we did not do what we did tonight early. It’s been huge for us down the stretch.”
After the Blackbirds got a run on Sam Hastings’ base hit, a steal, wild pitch and throwing error in the fourth, Wauseon exploded in the fifth.
An error, two hit batters and a walk, Jack Alstaetter’s pop fly single over a drawn in infield, another walk and a double throwing error made it 10-3.
Caleb Kissel’s line drive single brought home two more runs and after Reckner’s third hit of the day, Miller’s fielder’s choice ground ball scored Kissel who was ruled to have gotten under the tag at the plate for the game ending run.
Conrad grabbed the win despite walking five in 3 2/3 innings while striking out four. Caden Bishop took the loss for Pettisville.
Wauseon opens tournament play this week against Otsego while Pettisville travels to Edon for their first tournament game.
PHS 020 10 – 3 3 6
WHS 203 08 – 13 8 1
Records: PHS 8-11, WHS 8-12
WINNING PITCHER: Conrad (3.2 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 0 earned, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts) Other: Albright
LOSING PITCHER: C. Bishop (2 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned, 1 walk, 1 strikeout) Other: Warner, R. Bishop, Hastings
LEADING HITTERS: (Pettisville) Ripke – 2 singles; (Wauseon) Albright – double, RBI; Reckner – double, 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 3 runs; Alstaetter – single, 2 RBIs; Schindler – single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Kissel – single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Miller – 2 RBIs