By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WAUSEON (June 24, 2025) – Hall of Famers like Greg Maddux and John Smoltz would have been proud. Like Maddux, Pettisville’s Luke Horning had Wauseon off-balance all night, throwing a three-hitter and allowing just one run.
However, the Indians Camden Sherman was a Smoltz clone, using a fastball with a nasty breaking pitch to record nine strikeouts, throwing a one-hit shutout in a 1-0 ACME win.
Solid contact for both teams was few and far between and base runners were even fewer as both pitchers combined to walk just four hitters.
Wauseon garnered the only run of the game in the third. Jack Alstaetter drew a walk with two outs and stole second.
Thad Reckner lined a hanging breaking pitch into right for an RBI single to mark the only run of the game.
Pettisville had one real chance against Sherman, that coming in the fourth. Jack Leppelmeier bounced a seeing-eye single through the middle for the Blackbirds first and only hit leading off the inning.
After Leppelmeier stole second, Creighton Aeschliman walked to put runners on first and second with no one down.
Sherman got Horning on a fly to left but Sam Hastings moved up both runners with a bunt to create a second and third with two outs situation.
Quinn Ripke shot a bullet through the middle that tore Sherman’s glove off his hand; however, the Wauseon hurler kept his composure, found the baseball and threw Ripke out at first to end the threat.
From that point, Sherman put away nine of the last 10 Blackbirds who came to the plate. Wauseon had one chance to extend their lead in the fifth as an error and Sherman’s second hit of the game put two on with one out.
Horning got a pop out and Alstaetter on a fly ball to right to stop that rally. Ryan Bishop worked a 1-2-3 sixth for Pettisville.
Both teams will hit the ACME tourney trail in the next week. Pettisville will play Hicksville at Fairview on Saturday. Wauseon plays at either Bryan or Defiance next week against an opponent to be determined.
P’VILLE 000 000 0 – 0 1 2
WAUS 001 000 x – 1 3 0
Records: Pettisville 3-3, Wauseon 3-4
WINNING PITCHER: Sherman (7 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts)
LOSING PITCHER: Horning (5 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts) Other: Bishop
LEADING HITTERS: (Pettisville) Leppelmeier – single; (Wauseon) Reckner – single, RBI; Sherman – 2 singles