Boys Best of the Week: Scots score big baseball wins

SPARTA — Highland's baseball team produced a string of wins last week, including a pair of marque victories.

The Scots opened the week with a 7-0 shutout of Galion as Blake Jodrey and Cooper Merckling pitched. Jodrey worked five innings, striking out five, walking one and allowing five hits, while Merckling threw an inning, striking out three. Highland put up 13 hits with Rider Minnick leading with three, while Zach Pinkerton and Hayden Kline had two each, and Brock Church doubled.

They followed it up with a 17-2 beating of the Tigers. Minnick got the win with four strikeouts and three hits as he, Merckling, Jace Brooks and Pinkerton all posted multiple hits. Minnick, Merckling and Jon Jensen combined for 11 RBI, too.

Going on the road to face Mount Vernon, ranked No. 16 in the latest Division I state coaches poll, Jenson pitched the win through for innings, allowing two hits and four walks, while Evan Johnson and Pinkerton threw in relief. The Scots turned three double plays and Kline led at the plate with three hits and three RBI.

On Saturday, the Scots went to Grove City to play in the PBR Spring Classic and beat Indian Valley — ranked No. 3 in Division II — 9-3 with Jodrey picking up his fourth win of the season. Merckling and Pinkerton pitched and relief and the trio teamed for a three-hitter with nine strikeouts. Highland had 12 hits, including six in the first inning to forge a 4-0 lead. Schmidt and Luke Cain had multiple hits.

However, Highland couldn't sustain the momentum as River Valley upset the Scots on Monday 5-1 with Brycen Spaulding hitting a double for three RBI for RV. Hayden Kanagy and Riley Gerfen got two hits each with Logan Rensch giving up four hits and eight walks with a strikeout in the win. Kort Sears and Kline had the only hits for Highland with two apiece.

Here are some other highlights from the last week with the area's boys spring sports teams and athletes:

» River Valley also upset Shelby 1-0 last week. Kanagy ended with two singles, including the game-winning RBI that scored Trace Kelley. Rensch gave up three hits and a walk with four strikeouts, and Joey Dranschak doubled.

» Elgin earned a 13-3 win over Ridgemont when Donaven Stith threw five innings, allowing one earned run and nine strikeouts while throwing to just 18 batters. Isaac Dillon, Jonah VanGundy and Stith each had two RBI.

» North Union gave up five runs in the top of the seventh inning, but then responded with four runs of its own in the bottom of the frame to beat Urbana 12-11. Austin Haubiel pitched six innings of relief to get the win, allowing five hits, five walks and two strikeouts, plus going 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBI. Landon Converse was 3-for-3 with a double, three runs and three RBI. Aaron Krebehenne singled three times, Evan Hoffer and Kamren Apt singled twice, and John Hughes doubled.

Tyler Krebehenne threw a one-hitter with three walks and seven strikeouts, while Aaron Krebehenne and Haubiel each went 2-for-3 in a 3-1 win over Tecumseh.

The Wildcats fell 7-0 to Benjamin Logan, committing three errors and recording only five hits. Hughes, Ozzy Wilson and Caden Potts teamed for a five-hitter with six walks and two strikeouts.

North Union ended the week with a 14-6 win over Ben Logan with Hughes going six innings in relief for seven hits, three walks and two strikeouts. Hughes also doubled, while Tyler Krebehenne singled three times, and Apt singled twice for three RBI. Haubiel added two hits.

» Marion Harding's T.J. Fitzgerald posted three hits in a 3-2 loss to Bexley. In a 4-1 loss to Clear Fork, Nick Hecker doubled.

» In a 10-3 loss to East Knox, Northmor's Maxton Lower had two singles. The Golden Knights committed five errors in a 12-0 loss to Centerburg. In a 12-3 loss to the Trojans, Griffin Workman went 3-for-4, Grant Bentley 2-for-3 with two RBI and Lower 2-for-4 with two runs. Mathew Kearns doubled and singled twice in a 6-0 loss to Columbus Academy, while Garrett Corwin doubled and singled and Workman had two RBI in a 10-6 loss to Fredericktown.

» Marion Harding's tennis team started the week with 5-0 wins over Pleasant and Shelby. Against the Whippets, Brady Wink in first singles, Alexander Lisiecki in third singles and Asa Deeran and Alex Rice in second doubles needed three sets to get points, while Matuesz Lisiecki and the first doubles team of Evan Bonsel and Zane Menzie won in two sets.

The Presidents fell out of the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association team tournament, losing 4-1 at Pickerington Central. Wink and Mateusz teamed for a 3-6, 6-4, 11-9 win in first doubles, while Alexander lost in first singles 4-6, 6-4, 10-8.

In a 4-1 win over Galion, the Lisieckis and both doubles teams won matches for Harding.

» Pleasant's track team finished fifth at the 11-team Bob Royer Invitational at Colonel Crawford with 63 points. Hudson Warner led the squad by winning the long jump in a meet record 21-0, plus finished third in the 110-meter hurdles at 17.02, fourth in the 300 hurdles at 43.43 and seventh in the 40-meter dash at 5.31. Nick Swartz was another Spartan winner, taking the 1600 in 4:41.88, while also getting third in the 3200 at 10:49.88. The 4x800 relay was fourth in 9:14.94, the 4x200 sixth in 1:42.38 and the 4x400 sixth in 3:52.99. Others scoring for Pleasant were Will Lichtenberger fifth in the 1600 in 5:02.62, Carter Mattix seventh in the 400 in 56.17, Ben Dunham fourth in the 800 in 2:14.62 and Ethan Nutter seventh in the pole vault at 8-6.

» Elgin also competed in the Royer, scoring 40 points for 10th. The 4x800 team won in 8:45.47 as did Kolby Wasserbeck in the 800 in 2:07.39. Ethan Marshall was runner-up in the 3200 in 10:48.31. Finishing eighth were Sage Brewer in the 1600 at 5:07.62, Kaden Thomas in the 200 at 24.62 and Tommy Keirns in the 40 at 5.71. The 4x100 team was seventh in 49.55, and the 4x200 group was eighth in the 1:45.28.

» North Union was seventh out of 10 teams at the Benjamin Logan Invitational, scoring 46.5 points. Lincoln Harrah won the long jump at 19-7 and was second in the 100 in 11.46. The 4x100 team won in 46.21, while the 4x200 unit was fourth in 1:40.11, and Brennan Burke was fourth in 18-9.5 in the long jump. In a dual meet with Buckeye Valley, Harrah won the 100 in 11.1, the shot put in 38-5.25 and the long jump at 19-8, while Tyler Fout took the high jump at 5-6.

» Fredericktown easily handled a three-way meet at Cardington with 85.5 points, while Elgin had 48.5 and the hosts 21. David Hawkins won the 100 in 12.01, and Thomas was won the 200 in 25.77, while the 4x800 relay won in 9:08. For the Pirates, Jason Bockbrader won the high jump at 5-6 and Aiden Reitmire the 800 in 2:09.7.

» River Valley hosted its senior night by scoring 115 points to beat Wellington's 66, Delaware Christian's 40 and Granville Christian's 8. Winners for the Vikings were Etan Lyons (discus, 117-5; shot put 43-5), Grant Butler (long jump, 19-6.5), Cooper Miller (pole vault, 11-0), Ryan Blanton (110 hurdles, 17.62; 300 hurdles, 44.54), Ky Emmerson (100, 12.32), Joe Montgomery (1600, 5:05.93), Gabe Douce (800, 2:09.76), the 4x200 (1:38.04), 4x100 (44.54) and 4x400 (4:01.28).

» Highland ran away with a three-way meet, scoring 88 points to top Johnstown's 60 and Pleasant's 26.

Winners for Highland were Jay Melchiori in the 110 hurdles at 18.03 and 300 hurdles at 45.76, Joel Roberts in the high jump at 5-6, Austin Grandstaff in the pole vault at 11-0, Mason Duncan in the long jump at 18-0, Nick Smith in the discus at 117-11, Caden Holtrey in the shot put at 47-6 and the 4x800 in 9:03.2.

Swartz picked up wins in the 1600 at 4:53.2 and 3200 at 11:48.53, and Lichtenberger won the 800 in 2:17.8.

Coaches and statisticians are encouraged to send their results to Rob McCurdy at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

VOTE: Marion Star Boys Best of the Week Performer Poll

» Elgin baseball's Donaven Stith worked five innings and allowed one earned run with three walks and nine strikeouts while facing just 18 batters during a win over Ridgemont.

» River Valley baseball's Logan Rensch threw a three-hitter with a walk and four strikeouts in a win over Shelby.

» North Union baseball's Austin Haubiel pitched six innings in relief, allowing five hits, five walks and two strikeouts, plus hitting 4-for-5 with three RBI in a come-from-behind win over Urbana.

» Marion Harding track's Kaedan Faggs was voted most outstanding male athlete at the Marion Night Invitational after posting wins in the long jump, 200 and two relays, helping the Presidents to their first MNI win since 1999.

» Pleasant track's Hudson Warner set a boys long jump record of 21-0 at Colonel Crawford's Bob Royer Invitational, also finishing third in the 110 hurdles, fourth in the 300 hurdles and seventh in the 40-meter dash.

Voting continues through early Sunday morning at MarionStar.com and its app.

In last week's poll, River Valley track's Grant Butler took 202 of 573 votes (35 percent) to win it. He won the high jump at 6-2 and the long jump at 19-9.5 at Upper Sandusky's Gerald Swankhouse Invitational. Other nominees were Pleasant track's Nick Swartz, Marion Harding tennis players Brady Wink and Alexander Lisiecki, Northmor baseball's Grant Bentley and Cardington baseball's Wyatt Wade.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Boys Best of the Week: Scots score big baseball wins