Van Wert extended their losing streak to three on Friday, dropping them down to 5-7. They took a 5-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Defiance Bulldogs. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Cougars of the 7-4 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2025.
Van Wert saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Trevor Halker, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
As for Defiance, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games.
On Defiance's side, Ike Webb spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up eight Ks. Webb has become a key player for the Bulldogs: the team is undefeated when he allows at most two earned runs, but 2-3 otherwise.
At the plate, Grady Crist and Colt Ward did most of the damage at the plate: Crist went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base, while Ward went 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI. That's the most hits Ward has posted since back in May of 2025. Jaren Honsberger also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Van Wert and Defiance could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Ohio Rankings. The Cougars will take on St. John's at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday with a big rank disadvantage (378 vs. 90). Meanwhile, Defiance (ranked 146th) will meet Steele (ranked 26th) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
