Van Wert wins district championship

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

TIFFIN — Defense saved the day for Van Wert, as the Cougars held off Shawnee 5-3 to win the Division II district baseball championship at Defiance on Sunday.

It’s Van Wert’s first district title since 2015.

The first big defensive play came in the top of the sixth inning, when Shawnee trailed 4-3 and tried to tie the game, but with two outs, Van Wert left fielder TJ Reynolds fired a strike to catcher Owen Treece, who tagged out Caden Vermillion to end the threat.

Down 5-3 in the top of the seventh, the Indians (22-7) had runners at first and second with one out, but a 1-6-3 double play involving Hayden Maples, Jaxson Amweg and Nathan Temple ended the game and preserved the victory for Van Wert.

The No. 8 Cougars (25-2) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Lawson Blackmore scored on a passed ball, but Shawnee tied the game in the third when Jarin Bertke drove in Logan Maxwell.

Parker Conrad’s bases clearing double in the bottom of the third plated Maples, Temple and Blackmore, and gave the Cougars a 4-1. The scored remained the same until the top of the sixth, when Vermillion doubled in a pair of runs.

“I’m just so happy for these kids,” Van Wert head coach Charlie Witten said. “So many players contributed to this win, starting with Owen Treece on the mound, Parker Conrad with the big bases loaded double, and TJ Reynolds with the defensive play of the game, throwing out the tying run at the plate, all the way to the double play that secured the win.”

Amweg and Maples each had a pair of hits for Van Wert and Treece earned the win on the mound by scattering over seven hits and striking out four. Maples pitched the remaining two innings and allowed just one hit while fanning one.

Van Wert’s next opponent will be No. 3 Bowling Green in the Division II regional semifinals at Bowling Green State University’s Carter Park at 2 p.m. on Thursday. The winner will return on Saturday to play either Elyria Catholic or Vermilion for the regional championship and a spot in the state tournament.