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Minster's James Niemeyer slides in safely for the game-winning run against Versailles.
MINSTER - Often in baseball, a player who makes a big defensive play to end an inning will come up big when it's his turn to bat in the next inning.
Louis Magoto proved to be a perfect example. The Minster third baseman started a double play to end Versailles' chance to score in the top of the eighth inning, then doubled home James Niemeyer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Wildcats the Auglaize/Shelby/Darke ACME sectional title with a 4-3 win on Thursday night in Minster.
The Wildcats will play the first semifinal of the District 4 tournament next Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Fort Recovery against the runner-up of the Mercer County sectional that will be decided tonight. Versailles, as the runner-up, takes on the Mercer County champ next Wednesday in the second semifinal at 6 p.m.
"We haven't won three games in a row all summer," said Minster coach Jay Eilerman. "So we're peaking at the right time."
Minster catcher Dylan Heitkamp tags out Versailles' Travis George in the third inning.
Minster got the first run of the game in the bottom of the first when Dylan Heitkamp tripled and came home on a wild pitch. Tigers pitcher Ben Subler then shut down the Wildcats for the next three innings as the Tigers went to work.
After getting out of jams in the first two innings, Minster starting pitcher Brandon Lickteig ran into trouble in the third when Lane Bergman and Subler led off with back-to-back singles. Chase Monnin then walked to load the bases for Travis George, who belted a single to score Bergman to tie the game. Subler came home on a wild pitch and Lickteig walked Jace Watren to load the bases, and Eilerman called on Tyler Stueve to get out of trouble.
Stueve struck out Blake Henry for the first out, but then walked Ryan Treon to make it 3-1. The Wildcats were able to get out of further trouble with a tag-out at home on a passed ball and a grounder to first.
Stueve shut down the Tigers in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and leveled the game for Minster in the fifth, singling home Caleb Couse and Connor Schmiesing.
Minster had a chance to break the tie in the sixth with Magoto at second and Lickteig at first with one out, but pinch-hitter Alex Schmitmeyer and Rylan Edwards hit back-to-back line shots that ended up in the glove of Watren in centerfield.
Andrew Wiss came on and got out of trouble in the seventh when Watren was run down between second and third to end the inning. In the eighth, Wiss got the first out before walking Owen Mendenhall. Quentin Grilliot popped the ball towards third, where Magoto shoestringed the catch, then threw over to Ian Homan at first to double up Mendenhall.
"Great job by Tyler," said Eilerman. "Andrew started throwing some off-speed and that got (Versailles) a little off. He was able to close the door for us. Great to see."
Niemeyer led off the bottom of the eighth against Subler and blooped a single to right. Magoto stepped in and worked the count to 3-2 before finding the gap in left center. The ball went to the fence as Niemeyer got the call from Eilerman to head home, easily beating a throw as Magoto went into second standing up for a double.
"I wanted him to bunt (in the sixth) and he hit a ground ball (forcing out Niemeyer at second)," said Eilerman of Magoto. "It took us longer (to come back) and he redeemed himself."
Niemeyer went 3-for-4 and Heitkamp added a double to go with his triple for a two-hit night.
Bergman went 3-for-4 with Subler adding two hits.
