Ohio Locker Room - Loramie clinches share of league title

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Loramie clinches share of league title

Tuesday, 20 May 2008

FORT LORAMIE — Fort Loramie has the district championship to look forward to, but the Redskins didn’t want to let the county title slip away.

And they didn’t, beating Anna 4-1 Tuesday at home to clinch a share of the league crown with a final 10-2 record.

They will find out today if they have to share the title. Botkins also has just two losses and completes county play today at Custenborder Field against Fairlawn.

Fort Loramie goes to 19-11 overall and now sets its sights on the district championship Saturday at noon at Northmont against Southeastern.

Anna is 6-4 and 11-8.

The Redskins got a good pitching effort from Mitch Ahlers, who limited Anna to just four hits. He allowed his only run in the top of the seventh.

Loramie, meanwhile, had a four-run fourth and that was all the Redskins needed.

Jake Boerger was 3-for-3 for the Redskins and Andy Long 2-for-3. Dustin Wolters had a double for Anna.

The linescore:

R H E

Anna 000 000 1_1 4 0

Fort Loramie 000 400 x_4 8 0

Hunsucker (LP), Clark (7) and Heitman; Ahlers and Coverstone.

Records: Loramie 19-11, Anna 11-8.

——-

Botkins closes in

on share of title

BOTKINS — Botkins shook off the effects of its sectional final loss to Fort Loramie to pull out a 3-2 victory over Russia in a key county baseball game Tuesday at Botkins.

The Trojans won despite getting just three hits, and all of those came in one inning.

Botkins is now 9-2 in the county and can clinch a share of the title with Fort Loramie with a win over Fairlawn today at custenborder Field at 4:30. Overall, the Trojans are now 18-6.

A win today will give Botkins its first league baseball title in 31 years.

Russia didn’t make it easy, though. The Raiders started Cayle McEldowney, but he was forced to leave in the first inning after getting hit by a line drive. Zach Rittenhouse came on in the first and didn’t give up a hit until the sixth.

Russia got a run in the third and it held up until the sixth, when Botkins got all three of its hits, including a huge two-out hit from David Doseck.

Ryan Leugers got Botkins’ first hit of the game with one out, and Caleb Koch then blooped a single.

Travis Dietz grounded out to second for the second out, but Doseck delivered a clutch two-run single to right.

The Raiders came back with a run in the top of the seventh, however, on a walk, a single and an error, so it went to the bottom of the seventh.

Cody Meyer reached on an error and Zane Wildermuth walked. Evan Maurer tried to bunt them over, but Meyer was out at third.

Jared Boyd then walked to load the bases, and Leugers then grounded to second. The throw to home was off line, allowing Wildermuth to score the winning run.

“We didn’t get into any kind of rhythm at the plate,” said Botkins coach James Smith. “I guess it was a carryover from the loss Saturday. But we found a way to win against a good team.”

For Russia, which had six hits, Paul Schulze and Brook Schafer both singled and doubled and Ben Sherman had two singles.

Leugers went the distance for the Trojans, striking out 10.

The Raiders complete their season 7-5 in the county and 12-11 overall.

The linescore:

R H E

Russia 001 000 1_2 6 1

Botkins 000 002 1_3 3 1

McEldowney, Rittenhouse (1), Schafer (6) (LP) and Goubeaux; Leugers and Boyd.

Records: Botkins 18-6, Russia 12-11.