The Van Wert Cougars will head out on the road to take on the Bath Wildcats at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Van Wert and Coldwater, and Van Wert kept the tradition alive. The Cougars narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Cavaliers 7-6.
Easton Putman was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Finley Dickinson
| 04/10/26 vs Kenton | 3 |
| 05/26/26 vs Coldwater | 2 |
| 05/11/26 @ Shawnee | 2 |
| 04/30/26 vs Ottoville | 2 |
| 04/20/26 @ Wayne Trace | 2 |
| + 8 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Finley Dickinson, who went 3-for-4 with two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Van Wert's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 7-10 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Alex Benner, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bath, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They came out on top against Celina by a score of 4-1 on Monday.
Like Van Wert, Bath also got a great game from a two-way player: Karson Green. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Green was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run.
Green wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Peyton Liles, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Bath's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Van Wert, they now have a winning record of 12-11.
Van Wert couldn't quite get it done against Bath when the teams last played back in April as they fell 10-6. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
