By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (April 15, 2024) – If you talk the talk, you better be able to back it up. Down 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh it was Evergreen who silenced Wauseon with a three run rally capped by sophomore Bryce Bolger’s line drive RBI single that gave the VIkings a 4-3 walk-off win.
“We’ve been preaching situational hitting all year, getting guys home from third with less than two out,” Viking coach Mark Cymbolin said after.
“Sometimes we haven’t been very good doing it and to be honest we weren’t good with it tonight early in the game. It was big we got to the top of the order in the seventh and got good swings finally today.”
Colton Robertson got the Vikings off fast when he led off the first with a double down the left field line and went to third on Layne Vance’s pop fly single.
Cory Kanneman’s fly ball gave Evergreen a 1-0 lead off Indian starter Kahle Albright, but the Wauseon lefty got out of trouble three more times to keep the Vikes from denting the board again until the last inning.
Albright escaped a first and third situation with no outs in the third on a double play grounder, then wiggled out of a second and third one out rally in the fourth with two strikeouts of the Vikes eight and nine hitters.
Brady Kanneman blew down the Indians int he first three innings, striking out seven hitters but Wauseon marked a run in the fourth to tie the game.
Mason Thomas led off with a booming double to left went to third on a ground out and scored on Brady Miller’s seeing eye hit through the left side.
Thomas was in the middle of the Tribe’s go-ahead rally in the fifth. Xavier Martinez led off with a walk on a tactfully saying border line 3-2 pitch, then went to third when Brady Kanneman’s throw on Jack Altstaetter’s bunt went wide putting runners on second and third.
Thomas came up one out later and laced a liner to center to score both runners and give the Indians a 3-1 margin.
That held up until the seventh. Sean Rafferty led off with a four-pitch walk, the sixth of the day for Albright that ended his day of the bump.
That brought Kaden Clymer to the mound, and he induced a double play grounder from pinch-hitter Chris Shrader, but Thomas mishandled the hop and put runners at first and second.
Robertson rapped into a force play and then the fleet center fielder took second on the first pitch to Vance and then the Viking shortstop drilled a Clymer offering into the left field corner for a two-run double to knot the game.
Cory Kanneman then dropped a single into short right to advance Vance to third. A catcher’s indifference put runners at second and third for Bolger who ripped Clymer’s 2-2 pitch into left for the game winner.
“Raff getting on to start the hitting was big,” Cymbolin said of his junior catcher’s leadoff base on balls.
“That along with the error on the ground ball gave us a chance with two guys at the top that had good swings today.”
“Layne hit strikes today. He didn’t give away pitches, he didn’t give away at bats. He got a pitch he could drive in that last inning and drove it.” “Bryce definitely got a pitch he could handle and barreled it up, gave us game winner.”
Thomas accounted for all three Wauseon runs, getting three of the Indians’ five hits, scoring a run and knocking home two.
Vance went 3-3 with a double and two RBIs for the Vikings and Robertson was 2-4 with a pair of steals.
Cory Kanneman grabbed the win, working a one hit seventh in relief. Brady Kanneman went the first six, giving up four hits, one walk, and one earned run while striking out nine.
“Brady went six and pitched really well we thought,” Cymbolin expressed of his senior righty. “He throws strikes and that’s what we ask of all our pitchers.”
Clymer took the loss, getting hit for two runs off three hits in 1/3 of an inning. Albright went six, allowing just one run on four hits. He walked six and struck out nine.
WAUSEON 000 120 0 – 3 5 2
EVERGREEN 100 000 3 – 4 7 1
Records: Wauseon 2-6 (0-1 NWOAL), Evergreen 6-4 (2-0 NWOAL)
WINNING PITCHER: C. Kanneman (1 inning, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 earned, 1 strikeout, 1 walk) OTHER B. Kanneman
LOSING PITCHER: Clymer (0.1 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts) OTHER: Albright
LEADING HITTERS: (Wauseon) Thomas – double, 2 singles, 2 RBIs; (Evergreen) Robertson – double, single, 2 runs; Vance – double, 2 singles, 2 RBIs