The Ottoville Big Green will square off against the Bluffton Pirates at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
As a matter of fact, Ottoville put up the most runs they have all season on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Continental a 21-0 shutout.
Jayden Saxton made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow 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 marked the first that he scored this 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 were Hohlbein's first of the season. Another player making a difference was 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. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Bluffton hadn't done well against McComb recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Pirates came out on top in a nail-biter against the Panthers, sneaking past 12-11. That's two games straight that the Pirates have won by just one run.
Blayne Hill was a major factor while hitting and pitching. 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.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dylan Painter, who scored 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.
Ottoville's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-6. As for Bluffton, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-4.
Ottoville couldn't quite get it done against Bluffton in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 as they fell 14-11. Can the Big Green avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
