EXTRA INNINGS … Evergreen’s Chris Shrader takes a cut during a plate appearance in Thursday’s extra inning win over Bryan.
(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
NWOAL BASEBALL … Bryan shortstop Hunter Watson goes after a pitch in Thursday’s NWOAL game at Evergreen.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (May 1, 2025) – Three times Evergreen has come from behind to win league games this year….you can now make it four.
After falling behind 2-1 in the top of the eighth inning to Bryan, the Vikings came back with two outs and no one on base to win in the most dramatic fashion as fleet Colton Robertson stole home to break a 2-2 tie to give the Vikes a 3-2 victory.
Evergreen, who was picked at the beginning of the year to finish sixth or seventh depending what prognosticator you follow, is knotted in a first place tie with Archbold with each team having one NWOAL game remaining.
“Making it easy is not who we are,” Viking coach Chris Owens joked after. “Nothing good ever comes easy and it’s not supposed to, but these wins make it all worth it.”
On a more serious note, Owens added on. “We fight to the last out and our boys totally believe that, and they believe the game isn’t over until the last out.”
“Colton as soon as he got to third said he was going to score. Nolan (Hudik) had a great at-bat, fights off a full count pitch once to give us a read and an opportunity and Colton made good on it.”
“As far as we were picked, it just speaks to the testament of our kids. They put in a lot of off-season work; they bought into what we have brought to the program.’
“We knew they could be successful; they have had success in other sports they play whether it’s basketball, football, soccer, they have been successful. We needed that gel, that mesh and getting them to believe.”
Early on, the Vikings Troy Manz and Bryan’s Cade Carlin nose to nose, each throwing shutout ball the first two innings.
Manz got out of a third inning jam, when after hitting two straight hitters, when Chris Shrader fielded Mason Welling’s bouncer and got the tag-em-out, throw-em-out double play.
Manz then got the Vikings on the board when he drilled a one-out double into the left field corner, went to third on Bryce Bolger’s single, then scored when Bryan went after Bolger on the first and third walk off play.
Bryan tied it in the fifth. Elijah Fry went the opposite way for a base hit and with two down, Carter Luce did the same, lining a double into the left field corner to plate the tying run.
Evergreen had a golden chance to win the game in the seventh. Layne Vance singled, was sacrificed to second by JJ Johnson and went to third on a balk with one out.
Carlin got Austin Burghardt on strikes, then John Herdman on a pop out to keep Bryan alive.
The Bears cashed in the hard way in the top of the eighth against Robertson. After Carter Dominique singled and was bunted to second, Robertson hit Carlin to put runners at first and second.
Jaymison Longoria lined what should’ve been a base hit to center, but Herdman came charging in to catch the ball on the short hop and fired a pea to Manz at third for the force.
Hunter Watson came up big one batter later, with a run scoring single up the middle to give the Golden Bears the lead, but Robertson got out the inning when he picked Longoria off third for the final out.
Carlin started two up, two down in the bottom of the eighth but the Vikes found a pulse on Bolger’s base hit to left.
Robertson then lined a single to right and Shrader worked Carlin for a base on balls to load the sacks. Vance then drew a walk to force home the tying tally and Nolan Hudik came to the plate.
With Gavin Pittman on the mound, Hudik worked the count to 3-2 and when the lefty set to deliver the deciding pitch, Robertson got a huge jump for the plate.
Pittman stepped off but his throw to the plate was late and way outside past the catcher as Robertson slid across for the winning run.
Carlin gave up only six hits and a pair of walks in 7 2/3 innings but was saddled with the loss.
Robertson picked up the win as the trio of Manz, Vance and Robertson allowed seven hits, walking two. “Woo, Troy was a leader tonight,” Owens exclaimed.
“You look at Troy and he doesn’t look like the bulldog he is. He is going to compete to the last out, the last pitch, he comes up with a big double early to get us on the board, he was a bulldog tonight and kudos to their pitcher as well. He pitched his tail off.”
Evergreen, 8-5 on the year, plays at Liberty Center Monday in a critical league contest.
BHS 000 010 01 – 2 7 1
EHS 001 000 02 – 3 6 0
Records: BHS 8-6, 3-3 NWOAL; EHS 8-5, 5-1 NWOAL
WINNING PITCHER: Robertson (1 inning, 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts) Other: Manz, Vance
LOSING PITCHER: Carlin (7.2 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts) Other: Pittman
LEADING HITTERS: (Bryan) Bukowski – double; Luce – double, RBI; (Evergreen) Vance – 2 singles, RBI; Bolger – 2 singles; Manz – double