The Bluffton Pirates will head out to face off against the Ottoville Big Green at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Bluffton has given up an average of 8 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Bluffton gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They had just enough and edged out McComb 12-11. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Pirates.
Blayne Hill was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Hill was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Dylan Painter
| 04/15/25 vs McComb | 3 |
| 03/29/25 vs Pandora-Gilboa | 3 |
| 03/29/25 vs Pandora-Gilboa | 3 |
| 04/12/25 @ Genoa Area | 1 |
| 04/05/25 vs Liberty-Benton | 1 |
In other batting news, Dylan Painter was incredible, scoring three runs while going 2-for-2. He has become a key player for Bluffton: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-4 otherwise. Quinn Eachus was another key player, going 1-for-4 with four RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Ottoville, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. Everything went their way against Continental on Monday as they made off with a 21-0 victory. The Big Green's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Bluffton, Ottoville also got a great game from a two-way player: Jayden Saxton. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Saxton was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those runs were his first of the season.
In other batting news, Ottoville got a massive performance out of Zach Hohlbein, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those runs marked the first that Hohlbein scored this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Damian Lawhorn, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double.
Ottoville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .658. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Continental only posted an OBP of .263.
The win got Bluffton back to even at 4-4. As for Ottoville, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-6.
Bluffton was able to grind out a solid win over Ottoville in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, winning 14-11. Will the Pirates repeat their success, or do the Big Green have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
