PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
WAVED HOME … Montpelier’s Griffin Cooley is sent home by head coach Toby Hutchison. VIEW 146 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
SCOOP AND THROW … Wesley Hartsock scoops up a grounder and fires to first base.
COMEBACKER … Montpelier pitcher Kenneth Smeltzer fields a ball hit back to the mound.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
BOWLING GREEN (June 4, 2026) — Montpelier was poised and ready for a major celebration. After three straight trips to the regional tournament, the Locos were three outs away from a trip to the Division VII Final Four, holding a 5-3 lead over Leipsic (17-9) heading into the bottom of the seventh.
That feeling of euphoria and elation deflated as quickly as a dart hitting a balloon on a prize board at a county fair when, in the span of five batters, the Vikings scored three runs, capped by John Dewar’s RBI single, to send them to the OHSAA Final Four with a 6-5 win.
The Locos actually held a four-run lead as late as the bottom of the sixth before the Vikings started their comeback.
After Montpelier took a first-inning lead on Zaine Stull’s run-scoring double, Leipsic matched that tally in the second when Myles Camareno doubled and was chased home on Julian Zuniga’s single.
The fourth inning became pivotal, and it looked for a while as though the Locos had the game well in hand, as Leipsic was working with their No. 4 and No. 5 pitchers on the mound since the Vikings had used their first three hurlers the day before in a win over New Riegel.
A walk and Kenneth Smeltzer’s infield single began the fourth against Viking starter Colin Niese. Niese got Jaxon Stahler on strikes, but Hayden Sharps lined a one-out double to center, putting the Locos on top 2-1.
C.J. Fidler followed with a sharp single through the box to plate two more runs and give Montpelier (19-7) a 4-1 advantage, ending the day for Niese.
Smeltzer walked the bases full with one down in the bottom of the inning but then worked his way out of his own jam by striking out Zuniga and Lane Vieira to keep the Loco lead at three.
Smeltzer again helped his own cause in the fifth when he chased home Griffin Cooley, who had reached on a walk, with a two-out double off reliever Mill Paniagua to extend the Montpelier margin to 5-1.
That lead held up until the bottom of the sixth. Niese and Dewar each singled to lead off the inning, but Smeltzer retired the next two Viking hitters, bringing Zuniga to the plate.
The burly first baseman got the Vikings back into the game when he rammed a two-run double to right, slicing the deficit in half at 5-3.
The next inning, Leipsic finished their miraculous rally. Zac Lammers drew a leadoff walk. One out later, Aaron Hazelton reached on Stahler’s throwing error that put runners at second and third.
Niese hit a high chopper that got into left field, scoring one run to chop the Loco lead to 5-4. On the play, Hazelton and Stahler made contact when Hazelton was coming into third trying to score.
After a conference of the four umpires, it was determined that the contact was enough to rule defensive interference, which allowed Hazelton to score the tying run. That ruling actually became a moot point one pitch later.
Dewar ripped a shot down the left-field line that not only would have scored Hazelton with the tying run but also brought home Niese with the game-winner.
Paniagua got the win in relief, as he allowed one earned run in three and and two- third innings. He gave up two hits, hit two batters and walked two while striking out three.
Smeltzer got the loss, giving up seven hits, five of which came in the last two innings. He walked four and struck out seven.
MHS 100 310 0 – 5 6 1
LHS 010 002 3 – 6 7 1
WP- Mill Paniagua (IP-3.2, R-1, H-2, K-3, BB-2)
LP- Kenneth Smeltzer (IP-6.1, R-6, H-7, K-7, BB-4)
LEADING HITTERS: (Leipsic) John Dewar – single, double, RBI; Julian Zuniga – single, double, 3 RBIs; Myles Camareno – double; Colin Niese – 2 singles, 2 RBIs. (Montpelier) C.J. Fidler – single, double, 2 RBIs; Hayden Sharps – double, RBI; Kenneth Smeltzer – double, RBI; Zaine Stull – double, RBI