Columbian tops Norwalk for Lake title

TIFFIN — Norwalk entered Thursday's game at Tiffin Columbian with a chance to win a league championship.Truckers' coach Wes Douglas thought entering the season his team needed to split with the Tornadoes and Perkins and win all the other league games.Against one of the best pitchers in Northwest Ohio, Norwalk came up just short of that goal, falling 4-1 to Division II No. 6-ranked Columbian in Sandusky Bay Conference Lake division action."We were 2-3 in the league after we got beat by Perkins," Douglas said. "We won six straight in the league and put a nice winning streak together. This group has played a lot of baseball together. They're well-coached and they know the game."The Truckers fell to 14-7 overall and 8-4 in SBC Lake play. With the win, the Tornadoes are 17-4 overall and 9-2 in the league. The win clinched the league title for Columbian."To win this league is very special," TC coach Curt Mellott said. "With this group of kids, it's very meaningful to me. This group of seniors have been through a lot. To persevere and do this in this talented of a league, it says something."Norwalk hit Columbian starter Carson Mellott (6-0) early and led 1-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth. Brayden Roggow and Brayden Tucker each singled for the Tornadoes before David Auble was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Truckers starter Buddy Baker induced a groundout from Taleb Al-Zakwani, but Roggow scored on the play. With Preston Keller at the plate, a wild pitch brought in Tucker to make it 2-1.With Mellott settled in, Norwalk wasn't able to get anything going offensively. In one stretch, Mellott sat down 11 straight batters. After consecutive singles to start the third inning, he allowed just a seventh inning leadoff single."He is the real deal," Douglas said. "There is a reason he has a 0.40 earned run average. He is pretty tough to deal with. We needed more than one run. The kids battled. It was two good teams and a great atmosphere. You have to beat the best to be the best and we didn't get it done today."Columbian added onto its lead in the sixth inning. Baker (4-2) walked Tucker and Auble to end his day. Kelton Chapin came on in relief and struck out Al-Zakwani, but after a wild pitch, No. 9 hitter Preston Keckler roped a two-run single to extend the margin to 4-1."Buddy gives you a chance to win every time out," Douglas said. "In two years, he hasn't had any bad starts. He always gives us everything he has. He is a great teammate and all he cares about is winning and having some fun."Norwalk got to Mellott early. In the second inning, Chapin reached on an error, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Griffin Peiples singled. In the third inning, Caleb Sommers and Ian Minor each singled. Douglas opted for a bunt by cleanup hitter Bray Malson, but Mellott fielded the bunt and fired to third to get the lead out. Chapin then hit into a double play to immediately thwart the opportunity."It's a bunt for me every time in a game that is going to be 3-2 or 2-1," Douglas said. "The bunt was not terrible, but it wasn't good enough. It was bang-bang at third. If he beats that out, now it's bases loaded with nobody out."Mellott struck out five in the complete-game effort. He didn't walk a batter and surrendered just five hits."We felt if he hung around, we would be able to scratch a few runs through," coach Mellott said. "We knew Carson would keep us in the game."Baker allowed four runs on five hits and three walks.Norwalk is at Ashland on Friday and Ontario on Saturday before hosting crosstown St. Paul on Tuesday. The Truckers are the top seed in the Fremont district and will host Clyde or Sandusky on Friday (May 20) in a sectional title game.Norwalk was also playing without top hitter Eli Obringer. "Eli has been out with a bad back," Douglas said. "He is one of the best hitters in the district. That doesn't help us, either. I'm not sure if or when we will get him back." Norwalk 010 000 0 — 1 5 1Columbian 000 202 x — 4 6 1WP: Carson Mellott (6-0). LP: Buddy Baker (4-2).