
BY J. PATRICK EAKEN | MIRROR SPORTS — On the artificial turf at Defiance High School last week, Maumee baseball pulled out a 4-2 victory in extra innings over state perennial power Defiance.
Caleb Loboschefski pitched all eight innings, surrendering just one earned run while striking out seven Bulldogs and earning the complete-game victory on the mound for the Panthers.
Ethan Kujawa had three hits to lead the offense. Both teams had scored single runs in the first and third to send the game into the eighth tied at 2-2.
The Panthers proceeded to load the bases when Brayden Meeks was hit by a pitch, Kujawa got his third hit and Jayden Michalak belted a line-drive single.
Following a fielder’s choice, Landen Patterson’s fly ball to right scored pinch runner Brenden Myerholtz with the go-ahead run.
Then Ayden McCarthy lined a single to left, scoring Michalak with an important insurance run.
It was Maumee’s fourth win against nine losses, but unfortunately the Panthers lost a close non-league match at Tinora on Saturday afternoon, 6-5.
Maumee had the tying and winning runs at second and third base in the seventh inning but just could not find a way to get them home.
Angelo Shepler led the offense with two hits and McCarthy and Shepler each had doubles. Drew Durliat threw four-plus innings and surrendered just four runs.
Tinora scored one run in the first and two in the fourth, but the Panthers battled back with three in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3.
The Rams responded with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth and one in the sixth, but Maumee battled back with two runs in the top of the seventh, falling just short.
Perrysburg 11, MHS 1
The Panthers watched the game slip away early and could not recover during an 11-1 Northern Lakes League loss to cross-river rival Perrysburg last Friday.
The Yellow Jackets, ranked third in the state Division I poll, took the lead on a home run in the first, while Maumee struggled to put runs on the board and had a tough time defensively containing Perrysburg.
The Jackets opened the scoring in the first with three runs courtesy of a Connor Waldenzak home run.
Perrysburg scored three more runs in the second, led by the hitting of Kanyon Gagich.
Ben Robeson was the winning pitcher, allowing five hits and one run while striking out five and walking one over six innings.
Brayden Meeks took the loss for Maumee, allowing eight hits and six runs over three innings while striking out two and issuing no walks.
Logan Phillips, Myerholtz, Kujawa, Patterson and Loboschefski each managed one hit.
Andy Boros hit Perrysburg’s second homer of the game in the sixth, as the Jackets collected 15 total hits. Hudson Smith, Boros, Waldenzak and Gagich all managed multiple hits.
Maumee hosted Northview in an NLL contest on Monday and hosts Springfield on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Panthers travel to West Toledo to take on Start and on Friday will return to NLL action at Southview.