Baseball Recap: Upper Arlington Takes a Loss

Upper Arlington extended their losing streak to five on Friday, dropping them down to 2-6. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-1 heartbreaker at the hands of the Olentangy Berlin Bears. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Golden Bears have suffered since May 16, 2025.

Will Gilmore was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and not a single walk).

At the plate, Upper Arlington saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Blake Baumgartner, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI.

As for Olentangy Berlin, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 8-3. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games.

On Olentangy Berlin's side, Teddy Porter tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over eight innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). Porter has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Cole Rovai, who went 3-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

Looking ahead, Upper Arlington will take on Buckeye Valley at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Barons' pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so the Golden Bears' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Olentangy Berlin, they will square off against Dublin Jerome at 5:00 p.m. on Monday.