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Wednesday, May 9th, 2007

Wildcats complete a perfect league season

By Robb Hemmelgarn
NEW BREMEN - Following three decades, the wait for Minster baseball followers is finally over.  
Tuesday in New Bremen, the Wildcats came from behind to knock off their neighbors to the north, 6-5 - a victory which put an exclamation point on a perfect season in the MAC, something Minster fans had waited for since the league's inception in 1973.
The Wildcats shared the title with St. Henry and Coldwater in 1975, but now the only hands on the trophy are their own.
"It's always a goal to win the MAC title, but until it happens, it's just not something you can expect year in and year out," said Minster head coach Mike Wiss. "This is something that our kids really need to cherish because you just don't know when it will happen again, and it definitely isn't something that you get a lot of chances at."
The visitors began their assault in the first inning when Dan Mueller and Aaron Heitbrink each scored. The home team evened things up in their half of the second inning when Brad Wendel picked up his team's first hit off Minster starter Alyx Brandewie. Derrick Bruggeman reached base on an error a few moments later, and both scored to knot the game at two runs apiece.
New Bremen added to its total in the next at-bat when Adam Meyer knocked in Matt McCollum and Brad Wendel, who reached base on a walk and a base hit, respectively.
Trailing 4-2, the Wildcats shrugged it off in the fourth frame - an inning which proved to be detrimental to the Cardinals. Minster put its first three batters on base with a pair of walks and a base hit. Jimmy Stechschulte, Dan Mueller, and Zac Boeke each scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by Aaron Heitbrink and a rocket by Bob Inskeep to centerfield in which Corey Jutte bobbled away.
Inskeep scored a few moments later on a single from Eric Bernhold to give the visitors a 6-4 lead.
"We made some very costly mistakes which came back to bite us tonight," explained Cardinal head coach Justin Firks. "We lost the game, but we gave it everything we had despite those few mistakes. We are out of tournament and this is our last game, so we tried to instill in the kids what it means to play for pride and I felt like they did a great job coming out tonight and fighting."
Despite loading the bases in their half of the fourth inning off relief pitcher Jimmy Stechschulte, the Cardinals failed to pull any closer until the sixth inning when Cory Barlage scored on an RBI double by Jutte.
That is as close as New Bremen got however, as Stechschulte finished things off with a pair of strikeouts and a toss to Inskeep at first base to end the game.
"We have had a few run-rule wins this year, so to end the regular season with a tight game is not a bad thing at all," commented Wiss. "Towards the end tonight, it seemed like a tournament atmosphere. There was some tension in the air, and that's exactly how it's going to be each time out from this point on."
With their record still unblemished at 20-0 and finishing at 9-0 in the league, the Wildcats embark on their postseason today at home against the New Knoxville Rangers - a team they dismantled a couple of weeks ago by nearly 30 runs before the Rangers threw in the towel in the third inning. New Bremen's season ends with a 5-16 overall mark and a 2-7 record in the conference.
Additional online stories on this date
FORT RECOVERY - The middle school media center has been closed for the remainder of the year due to the vandalism committed during the weekend.
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WAPAKONETA - A group of Singapore officials traveled to Auglaize County on Tuesday morning to study a state-recognized program that helps inmates successfully fit back into society. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
WAPAKONETA - After nearly two years of writing legislation and passing a new sewage system law that became effective in January, the Ohio House has voted to rescind it.
WAPAKONETA - Two ticks became the subject of a recent health department meeting after a board member and a medical director literally brought them to the table Tuesday.
WAPAKONETA - The Auglaize County Sheriff's Office implemented the Auglaize County Transition (ACT) program in January 2003 to help inmates make a successful adjustment back into the community upon release from jail.
WAPAKONETA - Outcomes could change in Tuesday's primary election in Auglaize County with 17 provisional votes still to be counted. But the result of the St. Marys Township rezoning amendment will not change as it was soundly defeated.
Parkway Athletic Booster Club spokesperson Karla Butler told the Parkway Local Schools board of education that the club will come up with the money necessary to erect a concession stand at the athletic fields.
Four Celina teens have pleaded not guilty in Mercer County Common Pleas Court to charges stemming from a pair of April 10 burglaries at the same North Enterprise Street home.
NEW BREMEN - The community will mark its 175th birthday next year.
On Tuesday, Village Administrator Wayne York told council members it is time to start planning a fitting observance, along with other upcoming events of historical importance in the village.
Open house is set for Saturday
Condominium living, a trend making its way north, has made it to St. Henry with the addition of Chestnut Villa Condos.
Located on the south edge of the village off state Route 118, the four condo units were built by St. Henry residents Homer and Judy Stachler.
NEW BREMEN - As the runners worked their way through the preliminaries in order to qualify for Friday night's finals of the Midwest Athletic Conferen
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Celina got a solid outing from Kyle Pfeffenberger and John Bonvillian in defeating Wapakoneta 3-1 at Montgomery Field in Western Buckeye League play.
ROCKFORD - Parkway jumped out early 4-1 and then saw Coldwater come back to lead 5-4 before getting a Jensen Painter homer in the fifth to tie the game.