Baseball: Leipsic beats Miller City, moves on to district

May 16—LEIPSIC — Four runs was enough again for Leipsic.

The Vikings added a 4-1 baseball sectional championship game win over Miller City on Thursday to a 4-3 decision over the Wildcats in a Putnam County League game earlier this season.

Leipsic (20-3) will play Lincolnview next Tuesday at 2 p.m., in a Division IV district semifinal at Patrick Henry.

Leipsic scored two runs in the first inning, and added two more in the fourth inning while starting pitcher Tommy Offenbacher and reliever John Dewar limited Miller City to one run and five hits.

"Jumping out early — that was huge. We talked about it all week that we needed to get out early and that definitely helped us. Tommy settled in nice, kind of ran out of gas there in the fifth inning but John (Dewar) came in just pumping strikes and got us out of it," Leipsic assistant coach Barry Newell said.

Newell filled in for head coach Darren Henry, who was serving the first game of a two-game suspension for being ejected from a game on Monday.

Leipsic got the quick start it was looking for in the bottom of the first inning when Offenbacher tripled, Ethan Zeisloft doubled and Tyler Lammers singled for a 2-0 lead.

That lead grew to 4-0 in the third inning when Offenbacher was hit by a pitch, Zeisloft walked, Lammers got his second RBI of the game on a single just over shortstop and Colin Niese brought another runner across the plate with a sacrifice fly.

Lammers went 2 for 3 and drove in two runs. "He's had a great year. He has come through for us a lot with guys on base late in the season," Newell said.

Miller City coach Dusty Pester said, "We didn't make the plays early that we needed to make.

"We didn't do anything at the plate and you're not going to win many games if you don't put the ball in play," he said.

The Wildcats loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning but got only one run.

Andrew Weis started the inning with a walk and the next hitter, Jonathan Pester singled to put runners on first and third base.

Ethan Barlage's single scored Weis but Offenbacher got out of a bases-loaded loaded situation when Owen Tobe drew a two-out walk.

"We were one hit from making it a lot closer in the fifth inning," Pester said.

Dewar retired six of the seven batters he faced in the last two innings. Offenbacher struck out four, walked two and allowed four hits in five innings.

Miller City (14-7) got a complete game from starter Brent Koenig, who gave up four hits, struck out three and walked three.