Lincolnview’s Luke Bollenbacher pitches against Leipsic during Friday’s game.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
MIDDLE POINT — On the fourth try, Lincolnview’s baseball team found the big inning it was looking for.
The Lancers’ 5-0 win over Leipsic on Friday in a matchup of the last two teams still unbeaten in Northwest Conference games was laden with NWC championship implications.
A win by Leipsic would have allowed the Vikings, who also currently lead the Putnam County League, to become the NWC champion.
Lincolnview’s victory meant that if it could get a win on Saturday morning over Ada, the NWC’s last-place team, it would win the NWC title for the fourth time in a row.
Lincolnview (15-6, 7-0 NWC) struck early on Friday, getting a run in the bottom of the first inning on a leadoff triple by Chayse Overholt and a single by Jack Dunlap.
With the dominant performance turned in by senior right-hander Luke Bollenbacher, that first-inning score would have been enough to get the win.
Bollenbacher allowed only two hits — a first-inning single by Tommy Offenbacher and a sixth-inning single by Quin Schroeder. He struck out nine, didn’t walk a batter and the Lancers’ defense was flawless behind him.
Obviously, Lincolnview wanted more than just that one run. But it got only one hit in the next three innings before a four-run outburst in the fifth inning put it solidly in control of the game.
“We met in front of the dugout before the fifth inning and I said, ‘Guys, we’re doing everything right. We’re hitting the ball hard, we’re just not finding gaps. I feel like this is going to be our inning to break through.’ And we did with that four spot,” Lincolnview coach Eric Fishpaw said.
Lincolnview started that inning with a walk to Holden Price and a single by Dunlap. After the next two batters were retired, Aiden Hardesty launched a double over the centerfielder’s head to score Price and pinch-runner Gavin Evans for a 3-0 lead.
“I just saw two guys on base with two outs and I took my chance at it. I was confident when I went up to the plate. I was looking for a fastball down the middle and that’s what he threw,” Hardesty said.
Lincolnview made it 4-0 when Cal Evans, running for Hardesty, scored on an error. Bollenbacher, who went 2 for 3 at the plate, singled to score Reide Jackson to give Lincolnview a five-run lead.
Big arms
• Brent Koenig of Miller City tossed a two-hit shutout in an 11-0 win over Continental.
• Griffin Klausing of Kalida earned his first career win against Pandora-Gilboa. He went six innings and struck out 11 batters.
• John Dewar of Leipsic threw six innings and held Ottawa-Glandorf to four hits and one earned run in a 5-3 win.
• Skyler Lhamon of Bath threw a five-inning no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a 17-0 win over Ottoville.
• Braylon Metzger of Delphos St. John’s threw six innings and held Kalida to two hits and one earned run in a 3-1 win.
• Tyler Cupples of Bluffton tossed a complete game shutout, holding Allen East to just three hits in a 2-0 win.
• Kaden Moore of Wapakoneta struck out 10 hitters in six innings to get the win over Columbus Grove.
• Drew Bailey of Wapakoneta picked up the save in a 3-1 win over Columbus Grove.
Big bats
• Carson Lehman of Miller City went 3 for 4 with two RBI in an 11-0 win over Continental.
• Jarron Swick of Fort Jennings hit two doubles, drove in two runs and reached base safely four times in a 7-3 win over Ottoville.
• Carson Gilchriest of Fort Jennings had three hits in a 7-3 win over Ottoville.
• Tyson McGee of Bath recorded three RBI in a 14-2 win over Lima Senior.
• Skyler Lhamon of Bath scored three runs in a 14-2 win over Lima Senior.
• Jarrett Mullen of Wapakoneta drove in three runs on a triple in a 6-5 win over Van Wert.
• Kyle Hopkins of Columbus Grove went 3 for 5 at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored in a 10-4 win over Ada.
• Joel Rasor of Bath had three hits in a 17-0 victory over Ottoville.
• Maddox Underwood of Upper Scioto Valley had three hits in a 13-3 win over Cory-Rawson.
• Owen Cavelage of Fort Jennings had three hits and one RBI in a five-run victory over Upper Scioto Valley.
• Brent Koenig of Miller City went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs in a 12-2 win over Antwerp.
• Quin Schroeder of Leipsic went 3 for 4 and drove in five runs in a 13-5 win over Van Buren.
• Jacob Kaiser of St. Marys went 4 for 4, scored three runs and had three RBI in an 11-5 win over Bluffton (IN).
• Andrew Weis of Miller City had two doubles and drove in three runs in a 12-2 win over Anna.
• Zach Greber of Celina went 3 for 3 in a 2-1 win over Parkway.
• Trey Hensley of Allen East hit a walk-off single in a 5-4 win over Paulding.
• Kahne Sullivan of Bath went 3 for 3 in an 11-0 win over Perry.
• Alex Sanders of Upper Scioto Valley drove in four runs in an 11-5 win over Ridgemont.
BASEBALL STANDINGS
Western Buckeye League
`WBL`All
Defiance`8-1`17-4
Wapakoneta`8-1`14-5
Van Wert`6-3`10-9
Shawnee`5-4`10-13
Celina`5-4`17-8
St. Marys`4-5`8-13
Bath`4-5`14-12
Elida`4-5`9-11
Ottawa-Glandorf`1-8`5-16
Kenton`0-9`3-15
Midwest Athletic Conference
`MAC`All
Minster`8-1`20-5
Versailles`8-1`23-4
Coldwater`6-3`21-4
St. Henry`5-3`13-11
Delphos St. John’s`5-4`12-12
Marion Local`4-4`15-11
Fort Recovery`4-5`8-11
New Bremen`2-7`8-9
Parkway`2-7`6-11
New Knoxville`0-9`5-13
Northwest Conference
`NWC`All
Lincolnview`8-0`17-6
Leipsic`7-1`20-2
Crestview`6-2`13-5
Bluffton`5-3`10-9
Columbus Grove`4-4`11-12
Allen East`2-6`10-12
Delphos Jefferson`2-6`4-13
Spencerville`2-6`3-19
Ada`0-8`1-15
Northwest Central Conference
`NWCC`All
Hardin Northern`9-0`16-6
Elgin`8-1`13-8
North Baltimore`6-3`6-15
Waynesfield-Goshen`5-4`8-9
Upper Scioto Valley`5-4`9-10
Perry`4-4`10-9
Ridgemont`3-5`6-15
Cory-Rawson`3-6`6-14
Ridgedale`1-8`1-13
Temple Christian`0-9`0-13
Putnam County League
`PCL`All
Leipsic`6-0`19-2
Miller City`6-1`13-6
Fort Jennings`4-3`14-6
Columbus Grove`4-3`12-12
Kalida`3-4`8-16
Pandora – Gilboa`2-5`7-17
Ottoville`2-4`3-13
Continental`0-7`1-14
Toledo City Athletic League
`TCAL`All
Start`8-1`13-7
Bowsher`7-2`11-5
Lima Senior`7-3`9-14
Rogers`5-6`5-13
Waite`2-6`4-11
Scott`0-2`0-2
Woodward`0-9`0-11
RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Friday
Bluffton 2, Allen East 0
Elida 3, St. Marys 1
Fort Jennings 7, Upper Scioto Valley 2
Wapakoneta 3, Columbus Grove 1
Miller City 12, Antwerp 2
Van Wert 3, Kalida 2
Minster 2, Fort Loramie 1
Wayne Trace 7, Hicksville 0
New Bremen 2, Ansonia 0
Saturday
Leipsic 13, Van Buren 5
St. Marys 11, Bluffton (Ind.) 5
Lincolnview 10, Ada 0
Miller City 12, Anna 2
Monday
Wapakoneta 8, Shawnee 4
Liberty-Benton 7, LCC 0
Celina 2, Parkway 1
Defiance 20, Fairview 8
Marion Local 14, Miami East 2
Allen East 5, Paulding 4
Lincolnview 5, Kalida 2
Bath 11, Perry 0
McComb 6, Pandora-Gilboa 1
Upper Scioto Valley 11, Ridgemont 5
Findlay 9, Coldwater 8
Fort Recovery 11, Spencerville 1
Wayne Trace 6, Minster 4
St. Henry 8, Tippecanoe 7
Crestview 5, Patrick Henry 2
Tuesday
Games ended after The Lima News deadline. Find scores, game stories, photos and more on LimaScores.com.
Defiance at Paulding, 5 p.m.
Coldwater at Van Wert, 5:30 p.m.
Riverdale at Bluffton, 7 p.m.
Hardin Northern at Columbus Grove, 5 p.m.
Division IV Sectional Semifinals
Ottoville at Kalida, 5 p.m.
Holgate at Miller City, 5 p.m.
Continental at Delphos St. John’s, 5 p.m.
Delphos Jefferson at Fort Jennings, 5 p.m.
Ada at Pandora-Gilboa, 5 p.m.
Cory-Rawson at Arlington, 5 p.m.
New Knoxville at Perry, 5 p.m.
Temple Christian at LCC, 5 p.m.
Waynesfield-Goshen at Perry, 5 p.m.
Parkway at New Bremen, 5 p.m.
Wednesday
Division I Sectional Final
Lima Senior at Anthony Wayne, 5 p.m.
Division II Sectional Semifinals
Elida at Bath, 5 p.m.
Kenton at Lexington, 5 p.m.
St. Marys at Shawnee, 5 p.m.
Division III Sectional Semifinals
Bluffton at Carey, 5 p.m.
Allen East at Columbus Grove, 5 p.m.
Ottawa-Glandorf at Van Buren, 5 p.m.
Spencerville at Elmwood, 5 p.m.
SOFTBALL RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Friday
Columbus Grove 15, Kalida 5
Bryan 6, Bath 0
Van Buren 16, Delphos Jefferson 5
Miller City 3, Leipsic 1
Lincolnview 19, Ottoville 0
LCC 3, Marion Local 2
Patrick Henry 4, Continental 1
Fort Recovery 10, Wayne Trace 2
Minster 24, Perry 0
Coldwater 5, Paulding 3
Saturday
Lincolnview 10, Leipsic 0
Monday
Division IV District Semifinals
Minster 10, LCC 0
New Bremen 3, Ada 2
Regular Season
Ridgedale 8, Waynesfield-Goshen 2
Tuesday
Games ended after The Lima News deadline. Find scores, game stories, photos and more on LimaScores.com.
Ada at Lincolnview, 5 p.m.
Division III District Semifinals at Bath
Van Buren vs Parkway, 4 p.m.
Fort Recovery vs Coldwater, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Division II District Semifinal at UNOH
Defiance vs Bryan, 4 p.m.
