Baseball Game Preview: Elida Bulldogs vs. Lima Central Catholic Thunderbirds

The Elida Bulldogs will venture away from home to challenge the Lima Central Catholic Thunderbirds at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Elida will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

On Monday, Elida sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-6 victory over McComb.

Gavin Tickle

Hits (Career)

05/12/25 @ McComb	3
04/22/25 @ Ottawa-Glandorf	2
04/12/25 vs Riverdale	2
04/12/25 vs Pandora-Gilboa	2
05/07/25 vs Ottoville	1

Gavin Tickle was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Marc Troyer, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Darien Jones, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.

Elida was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .441. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Celina hit Lima Central Catholic with a six-run third inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Thunderbirds came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 14-4.

Lima Central Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 7-12. As for Elida, their record now sits at 13-9.

Elida took their win against Lima Central Catholic when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.