ACME BASEBALL … Jack Alsteatter put the ball in play for Wauseon in an ACME game versus Pettisville. (PHOTO BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
By: Joe Blystone
WAUSEON (JUNE 13, 2023) – One thing a team works on in the so-called “spring training schedule” of the summer, is throwing strikes.
Wauseon did just that as Cooper Balser and Mykale Schneider combined for a one hitter and allowed just three base runners in a five inning, 22-0 ACME win over Pettisville.
“That’s been a struggle for us the first couple of games,” Wauseon summer coach Easton Delgado said of his pitcher’s ability to locate the strike zone.
“But the last couple of games they have been able to figure it out and throw strikes and that’s what you need to do.”
“You don’t need to do anything crazy, just throw strikes, they have a great defense behind them and let them make plays for you.”
After issuing a lead-off walk to Creighton Aeschliman, Balser retired the next nine Blackbirds, five of them on strikes before turning the ball over to Schneider in the fourth.
“I thought he did great,” Delgado said of Balser. “I think that first inning was a little rough to start but once he settled in, he did great, threw strikes and got guys out.”
Schneider gave up the only hit in the game when Caden Bishop beat out an infield single in the fourth but also struck out five Pettisville hitter without walking a batter.
Walks were one thing Pettisville had a problem with, putting 12 Indians on base by way of the base on balls and hitting three more Wauseon hitters.
Six of those walks came in the first inning when Wauseon scored 11 runs on just four hits.
Kahle Albright’s blooper to left brought home the first Indians run before a series of walks and hit batsmen along with a catchers’ interference call propelled the Indians up 5-0.
A throwing error, Masyn Buehrer’s pop fly single to right, another pop-up by Brady Miller that fell on the infield, and Schneider’s looper to left plated six more runs before the Blackbirds could record a third out.
Buehrer dropped another RBI bloop single to right, Albright hit a sac fly and Miller lined to two-run hit to right center in the fourth to add four more Indian tallies.
Cedric Taylor’s infield hit and Buehrer’s base hit up the middle plated two more in the third to make it 17-0 before run scoring singles from Balser, Caden Pence and Albright helped bring across five more in the fourth.
Wauseon also took advantage of seven Pettisville errors while not committing a fielding miscue.
PETTISVILLE 000 00 – 0 1 7
WAUSEON (11)42 5x – 22 11 0
Records: Wauseon 5-1
WINNING PITCHER: Balser (3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk) Other: Schneider
LOSING PITCHER: Bishop (0.2 innings, 2 hits, 11 runs, 2 earned, 1 strikeout, 5 walks) Other: Horning, Crawford
LEADING HITTERS: (Pettisville) – 1 single; (Wauseon) Buehrer – 3 singles, 3 RBIs, 2 runs; Albright – 2 singles, 3 RBIs; Brady Miller – double, single, RBIs, 2 runs; Schneider – single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Balser – single, 2 RBIs, 3 runs; Taylor – single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
Joe can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com