STOLEN BASE … Archbold shortstop Emma Hall takes the throw from the catcher as they try to catch Bryan’s Tabithah Taylor stealing second. (PHOTO BY RICH HARDING, STAFF)

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By: Nate Calvin

BRYAN – Archbold secured at least a share of their first NWOAL championship since 2017 by holding off defending champion 5-4 at Recreation Park in Bryan.

Bryan was the first team on the scoreboard as Tabithah Taylor had a bunt single and Katelan Nagel brought her home on a single to center to put Bryan ahead 1-0 after two innings.

Archbold back in the third with a single by Emma Hall and later Reagan Kohler singled with Hall now at third to tie the game 1-1.

Carsyn Hagans and Natalie Nofziger recorded consecutive singles with Nofziger’s hit scoring Kohler to give Archbold a 2-1 lead.

Bryan would even the score in the fourth as Caitlyn DeWitt and Kierstyn Bherns started the inning with singles.

Teaghan Blad, pinch running for Bherns, eventually scored on a wild pitch after two Bryan batters were retired to tie the score at 2-2.

Archbold regained the lead for good in the fifth as Hagans singled and Nofziger drew a walk with one out.

Addison Ziegler would then lay down a sacrifice bunt to advance Hagans to third and Alli Bickel, who was a courtesy runner for Nofziger, to second.

Bre Boysel would deliver the big hit of the night for the Bluestreaks with a double to right, scoring Hagans and Bickel and putting Archbold back on top at 4-2.

Archbold added one more run in the inning as Harley Phillips reached on an error and another error on the play allowed Boysel to score to make it 5-2.

Bryan would begin to chip away with a run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by DeWitt and an RBI single by Marlee Yoder in the sixth to make it 5-4.

The Bears put the tying run on second in the seventh after DeWitt reached on a two-base error on a pop fly to second base with one out.

Archbold starting pitcher Nofziger stopped the Bryan rally though as she would get a pop out and then a strikeout to end the game.

Hagans topped the Archbold bats with a 3-3 night at the plate Boysel led the Streaks in RBIs with two.

Archbold now waits to see with who or if they share the league title as Wauseon (5-1) and last year’s co-champ Evergreen (5-1) each have one league game remaining.

ARCHBOLD  002 030 0 – 5 8 2

BRYAN           010 111 0 –  4 8 2

Records: Archbold 10-6 (6-1 NWOAL), Bryan 11-4 (4-2 NWOAL)

WINNING PITCHER: Nofziger (7 innings, 8 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned, 6 strikeouts, 4 walks)

LOSING PITCHER: Arnold (7 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks)

LEADING HITTERS: (Archbold) Hagans-3 singles; Nofziger-single, RBI; Boysel-double, 2 RBIs; Hall-2 singles; (Bryan) Yoder-single, RBI; DeWill-2 singles, RBI

Nate can be reached at sports@thevillagereporter.com

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