HAMLER — Two days after RJ Shunck pitched a gem in a 1-0 victory over Archbold, righty Landen Vance was almost as effective against Patrick Henry in Northwest Ohio Athletic League baseball.
However, the Vikings again were inept at the plate, and the Patriots used the gale force winds to their advantage in a 2-1 win Thursday.
Vance was perfect throught the first four innings — as was Patriot starter Logan Hudson.
Shunck became the first base runner of the game when he reached on an error.
Pinch runner Evan Lumbrezer swiped second, went to third on Connor Hewson’s sacrifice, and scored on Hunter Vaculik’s ground out to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
However in the bottom of the inning, Nash Meyer’s fly ball to right got caught in one of the 45 mile per hour gusts and tailed away to the corner where it fell for a double.
Two ground outs later the Patriots had knotted the score 1-1.
Evergreen threated in the seventh on a walk, Layne Vance’s second hit of the game and another walk with two out but Hudson got a strikeout to end the inning.
In the bottom half, Meyer again got a fly to right center into the wind, and the hooking banana ball again went for a double leading off the inning.
One out later, Drew Rossengarten’s fly ball to left was knocked down by the wind and like a wedge shot on the green, the ball acted like that in the air, coming back toward the infield where it fell for a single.
Landen Vance got the next hitter on a bounce out but Austin Miranda lifted a fly to left, this one carrying away toward center field where it dropped for the game-winning single.
Vance struck out six and did not walk a hitter in the loss. Hudson struck out five and walked two.
Evergreen split a double header Saturday against Edgerton.
Nick Smithmyer threw a four-hitter, striking out eight and walking three in a 7-2 first game win.
In the nightcap, the Vikings were guilty of base on balls to lead off hitters three times in the first four innings, and along with some un-Evergreen like defense, kicked away a 7-5 loss.
Evergreen travels to Toledo Start Tuesday, then hosts Wauseon in a league contest this Thursday.
