The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

VW to state after beating Shawnee

Van Wert independent sports

LIMA — The Van Wert Cougars are headed to the ACME state baseball tournament for the third time in four years after beating Shawnee in back-to-back district games at Lima Central Catholic High School on Tuesday.

In game one, the Cougars broke a 0-0 tie with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and held on to defeat the Indians 2-1.

Hayden Maples scored on a sacrifice fly by TJ Reynolds to make it 1-0, then Lawson Blackmore scored an insurance run on a single to left by Nathan Temple.

Shawnee’s lone run came on an RBI single in the top of the seventh.

Van Wert had just three hits in the game – singles by Maples, Temple and Ryan Hollingsworth, while Shawnee had only five hits in the game.

On the mound, Blackmore pitched all seven innings and struck out eight while walking just one.

After a short break, the two teams played again and Owen Treece pitched a complete game and held the Indians to just three hits in a 4-1 victory.

The sophomore struck out five and walked two.

Van Wert’s first run came in the bottom of the third, when Jaxson Amweg scored on a grounder by TJ Reynolds.

The Indians tied the game with a run in the top of the fourth, but the Cougars took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Jake Lautzenheiser’s RBI single plated Ryan Hollingsworth, then Hayden Maples hit an RBI single to left field that scored Parker Conrad.

Maples, who finished with three of Van Wert’s nine hits, added another run scoring single in the bottom of the sixth, driving in Conrad again.

Lautzenheiser also had a trio of hits.

The Cougars (18-5) will play Versailles in the state tournament at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Defiance (see Saturday’s full schedule below).

POSTED: 07/18/18 at 5:34 am. FILED UNDER: Sports