Emotions ran high at South Warren Ballpark on Tuesday evening, but that did not phase the Purples, who scored five runs in the fourth inning on their way to a 9-4 win over South Warren to secure the No. 1 seed in the 14th District Tournament.
“It’s great. Nobody thought that we would be in this position playing in what I think is the toughest district in the state,” said Bowling Green head coach Matt Myers. “I wish there was more reward for a team that won the regular season. I couldn’t be happier for our six seniors. A lot of them have taken big roles this year.”
Carrying over the momentum from a 7-0 win over the Spartans the night before, Bowling Green knew they had to strike early and often to repeat that result.
“We knew we had to jump on them early because they will try to jump on you early,” said Purples outfielder Nick Meyer, who went 3 of 4 from the plate and scored two runs. “They have a lot of energy in their dugout and you just have to battle through that.”
The Purples had no trouble getting off to a fast start, scoring three runs in the first inning on hits by Brice Deglow and Will Garkse, as well as a reached error by Tyler Stahl.
The Spartans (12-13) countered with a run in the bottom of the inning when Jaxson Smith stole home on a passed ball to cut the lead to 3-1.
Logan Bowen gave Bowling Green another run in the top of the second inning, using a single to bring in Meyer to extend the lead to 4-1.
South Warren continued the back-and-forth affair in the bottom of the second inning as Tyler Martin took home on an error and Sam Gage scored on a passed ball to pull the Spartans within 4-3.
Both teams traded defensive punches until the top of the 4th inning, when the Purples (17-8) scored five run on five hits to blow open a 9-3 lead.
The Spartans added another run in the bottom of the 5th inning when Cannon McDaniel brought in Kirtley Lawrence with a line drive, which cut the lead to 9-4.
South Warren would load the bases again twice in the evening, but would not capitalize on any of the scoring opportunities.
The Purples pounded out 11 hits on the evening, including the three from Meyer and two from Will Garske. South Warren recorded eight hits including two apiece from Josh Vincent, Lawrence, and McDaniel.
Bowen and Riley Hogan combined for nine strikeouts and only three walks on the evening for Bowling Green.
The final game of the series has been moved from Thursday to Wednesday at South Warren Ballpark due to forecasts of rain. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
