OTTOVILLE — It must have seemed like deja vu all over again for Ottoville’s baseball unit Thursday night.
On April 17 at Stadium Park, the Big Green dominated St. John’s for five innings before a 6-run rally handed the visitors a 1-run loss.
This time around in the brand-new Big Green Park, the hosts were in control for four innings before the Blue Jays came from behind for a 12-7 non-conference victory.
“We finally caught up to their starter (southpaw Jordan Schimmoeller). We finally kept our weight and hands back and didn’t get caught out in front,” Jays coach Dan Metzger began. “We started to time him up a lot better and drive the ball. We’ve really started to hit the ball a lot better than we did the first four games or so.”
For Big Green (5-8) coach Tony Castronova, it was a hard lesson to learn.
“We have to learn that it’s seven innings and we have to be consistent for seven innings. We keep getting better but there are times we get complacent,” he explained. “We cannot allow that to happen. Give credit to St. John’s; they’re like us in being a young team and they’re getting better, too.”
Ottoville scored three times in the first frame against sophomore starter Joel Pohlman (1-2; 5 frames, 6 hits, 7 runs, 3 earned). Matt Niemeyer (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) doubled down the left-field line, moved to third on a groundout by David Wurst and scored on a sharp single to center by Andrew Koch (2 runs). Schimmoeller hit to right put runners on the corners. He stole second. Koch came in on a groundout by Colbey Basinger and Schimmoeller scored on a double to the fence in left by Alex Odenweller for a 3-0 lead.
Schimmoeller (1-1; 5 2/3 frames, 6 hits, 9 earned runs, 6 walks, 3 hit batters) held the Jays (5-8) hitless for four innings, though they put together a pair of walks: Chris Pohlman (3-for-3, 3 runs) and Jordan Rode; a hit batter (J. Pohlman) and a 1-out groundout by Ty Bergfeld in the third to make it 3-1.
Ottoville made it 6-1 in the fourth. With one down, Pohlman plunked Odenweller. He stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error on a swinging strike three (Jacob Landin). Landin swiped a base and Lee Altenburger walked. Both advanced on Matt Honigford’s groundout. and both touched home plate via a 2-run ground single to center by Niemeyer.
“We came out of the gate slow; Ottoville came out hitting the ball hard. Joel needed to settle down and get the ball down in the strike zone and he did,” coach Metzger added. “Defensively, it seems to simply be a matter of focus every pitch. At times, we seem to lose count of where we’re at in the game. Every pitch, we have to zero in and know what we’re going to do; each player has to be prepared for the ball to be hit to him.”
The Blue and Gold began their comeback in earnest in the fifth. C. Pohlman led off with the Jays’ first hit. Rode walked and J. Pohlman singled down the left-field line to plate C. Pohlman. Brandon Hemker lined out hard to the shortstop; he tried to double up J. Pohlman at first but the throw was awry, allowing both runners to move up a base. Bergfeld was hit by a pitch. Taylor Bowersock’s grounder forced Rode at home but Curt Metzger (2-for-4, 4 RBIs) singled to center to get J. Pohlman and Bergfeld home for a 6-4 deficit.
The Green and Gold got its final tally in the home half. Koch led off with a walk and stole second. An out later, Basinger bounced out to get Koch to third. Odenweller’s grounder was misplayed for an error, plating Koch for a 7-4 spread. Landin singled to left but Bowersock threw to Metzger at third, who made a diving tag of Odenweller for the third out.
The Jays went up 9-7 in the sixth. Jeremy Kline led off with an infield hit up the middle and C. Pohlman’s hit got past a diving Niemeyer at short. A wild toss moved them up and Rode walked. J. Pohlman forced C. Pohlman at third but Kline scored. An out hence, Bergfeld got a free pass to load them up and Bowersock was plunked to plate Rode. Metzger laced a single to center to score J. Pohlman and Bergfeld — the throw home allowed the other runners to advance a base — to finish Schimmoeller and bring Niemeyer in to pitch.
He was greeted with a knock to center by Nate Webb to get Bowersock home.
The lefty Bowersock (1st save) then relieved J. Pohlman in the sixth. With one down, Honigford doubled to right center and moved up on a bounceout by Niemeyer. David Wurst walked but Bowersock got out of the inning unscathed.
The Jays tacked on three more in the seventh. C. Pohlman singled to right and Rode went yard to left, hitting the first home run at the new park. An out later, Hemker was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Bergfeld’s knock to left.
Odenweller got on via a 2-out error but Bowersock induced a game-ending groundout.
“No question, Jordan hurt himself with the walks and the hit batters,” Castronova added. “He walked the No. 8 batter (Rode) three times and hit the No. 9 (J. Pohlman). He’s a sophomore who was making his second start; it’s a long process.”
Both teams return to action tonight: the Jays at home vs. New Bremen and Ottoville in a PCL battle at Pandora-Gilboa.