(April 6th, 2015) – SWANTON: Winning on the road can be a difficult task regardless of the opponent. Trying to obtain victory in an away game against a fellow North Western Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) opponent can seem downright impossible at times. The conference has a lot of the top baseball talent in the area playing on its teams, and it’s hard to determine just what is going to happen once a couple of its heavy hitters set a collision course for one another.
Which was exactly the case when Wauseon made the trip to Swanton to take on the Bulldogs on their home field. Despite a valiant effort, the boys of Swanton proved to be too much for the Indians on April 6, handing Wauseon their first defeat of the young season.
The Indian boys fell to the Bulldogs 10-6.
After keeping Wauseon off the score board in the top half of the opening inning, the Bulldog boys hastily struck first, putting up 2 runs before giving the Indians a chance to rebut. The visitors from Wauseon did just that, scoring 2 runs of their own to tie the contest. Swanton retook the lead in the bottom of the second, tacking on another run to earn a 3-2 advantage.
The lead then changed once again, this time in the third inning. The boys of Wauseon doubled their score with 2 more runs, giving them a 4-3 edge over their hosts. The Bulldogs would not answer until the bottom of the fourth, though their response would be decisive. Swanton totaled 3 runs prior to the start of the fifth inning, and 4 more before heading into the sixth. Suddenly, the Indians found themselves behind 10-4. They attempted to rally in the top of the sixth, tacking on 2 more runs, but were unable to catch up by the conclusion of the seventh and final inning of play.
Wauseon’s Carter Bzovi gave a great effort in the loss. At the plate, the sophomore went 2 for 3, hitting for a single and a double. He also drove in 2 RBIs. Teammate Brady Rupp had a near identical stat line, also going 2 for 3 with a single and a double, as well as a pair of RBIs. Senior Peyten Shadbolt went 2 for 3 inside the batter’s box also, knocking in 2 RBIs off of a pair of singles.
Nate Suntken took the defeat for Wauseon, fighting for 3.2 innings to keep his team in the contest. The senior pitcher gave up 6 earne
runs off of 9 hits in the defeat, but also struck out 2 batters. Classmate Jacob Newlove came in for relief, giving up 4 earned runs off of 5 hits. Newlove struck out 3 Bulldogs along the way.