By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (April 24, 2025) – Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, you haven’t seen it all.
Evergreen scored five runs on no hits…yes, that’s right, no hits and without benefit of a Patrick Henry error in the bottom of the sixth to chalk up a 7-3 come from behind win.
“As we have been searching for the identity of this team, it comes to the point of having a heart and reaching down,” Viking coach Chris Owens said after the Vikings marked their third come-from-behind league win.
“When it doesn’t go your way and you make a mistake, you just keep coming and that will probably the description of Evergreen baseball this year,”
Patrick Henry jumped out to a 2-0 lead after three innings against Layne Vance. Mack Hieber’s triple into the right field corner after an error put the patriots ahead in the first, then PH doubled the lead in the third.
A single from Grant Schwab, a walk and a fielder’s choice grounder marked the second run, but Vance was more than stingy after that.
Evergreen chopped the deficit in half in the third with two out. Bryce Bolger singled, stole second and when Colton Robertson beat out an infield hit, Bolger rode home when the Patrick Henry players were showing their dismay with the safe call at first base.
The tying tally came home an inning later. Vance opened with an infield hit, was bunted to second and came home as when John Herdman beat out an infield hit, the throw to first sailed into right field.
While Vance was throwing goose eggs the next three innings scattering three hits, the Vikings rallied to open up a lead in the most unforeseen way.
Lane Jackson, who had not walked a hitter in five innings, put the first three Vikings on base with ‘ball four’ to start the sixth.
Ian Schwab relieved Jackson and plunked Herdman with a 3-2 pitch to force in the go-ahead run.
One out later, Brenden Holman took four balls to bring home another run, Troy Manz’s sacrifice fly marked a third, another scored on a wild pitch and after Schwab walked the bases full again, Chris Shrader drew yet another base on balls to push the bulge to 7-2.
“It is what it is I guess,” Owens said of the five run, hitless inning. “Their pitcher did a fantastic job being around the zone all day.”
“Generally, the control goes before the speed and we do a great job late in games working counts and being selective and, well I guess that was the tale of that inning.”
Vance came out after Grant Schwab singled, and he issued a walk in the seventh. Patrick Henry scored on a wild pitch but after Robertson put two on with walks, the lefty got the save when he got Grady McKee to bounce to third.
Vance got the win, striking out five and walking three. The senior righty scattered six hits and allowed one earned run.
“This kind of night speaks for his resolve on the mound,” Owens explained. “If you watch him, if he walks someone or gets a ground ball out, he has the same look on his face for the next pitch.”
“Any great baseball player has that next pitch mentality whether it’s a strike or ball or hit or out. You just trust the process and be ready for the next pitch and Layne does a great job with that.”
Evergreen travels to Edgerton Friday, then hosts Archbold Monday in a critical league contest.
PHHS 101 000 1 – 3 6 2
EHS 001 105 x – 7 3 1
Records: PPHS 2-7, 2-2 NWOAL; EHS 7-4, 4-0 NWOAL
WINNING PITCHER: Vance (6 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts) Other: Robertson
LOSING PITCHER: Jackson (5 innings, 3 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts) Other: Schwab, Schroeder
LEADING HITTERS: (Evergreen) – 3 singles; (Patrick Henry) Hieber – triple, double, RBI; Schwab – 2 hits, 2 runs