Bulldogs down ’Cats in NWC

By Dave Boninsegna, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Saturday, May 3, 2008 (5 months, 1 week ago)
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COLUMBUS GROVE — The Columbus Grove Bulldogs baseball team has already wrapped up a share of the Putnam County League title.
Thursday night in a contest against their Northwest Conference foe, the Jefferson Wildcats, they took a step closer to claiming the NWC title with an 8-3 victory.
Adam Osterhage pitched a complete game, striking out five batters in allowing just five hits. Nate Bogart added to his area-leading hitting statistics, going 3-for-4, with a home run and driving in three runs.
Adam Kraning (2-for-3) provided the offensive power for the Jeffcats with a run-scoring double in the sixth. Sean Fisher started on the hill for Delphos, giving up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Grove started off the contest as if they were going to make a short night of it, scoring five times in the first inning, sending up nine batters. Jessie Maag led off the game by reaching on an error, followed by a single by Bogart and subsequent hits by Kyle Stechschulte and Garret Wolfe, with Wolfe driving home two runs in giving the hosts an early 4-0 advantage. A Nate Schroeder single would drive home Wolfe with the inning’s final run.
Fisher would calm down and hold the ’Dogs at bay until the fourth inning when Osterhage reached on an error and Bogart homered to left two batters later, putting Gove up by a 7-0 count and bringing in Damon Joseph in relief.
Jefferson would get its crack at the plate in the sixth as they began to get to the Columbus Grove hurler. Matt Antalis pinch-hit in the inning and led off with a single. With two outs, Kraning doubled him home for the visitors’ first run of the game. He later scored, along with Aaron Schuerman, on a 2-run single by Craig Carder, making it a 7-3 game.
Grove tacked on a run in the sixth when Brett Reed led off with a single, was sacrificed twice to get him to third and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Osterhage struck out the side in the top of the seventh to seal the victory for the hosts.
The Bulldogs improve to 13-6 overall and 5-0 in the NWC, while Jefferson falls to 11-6 and 4-3.
Jefferson hits the road to Dola tonight (weather permitting) to battle Hardin Northern. Grove battles LCC Monday at Rhodes State College.

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