Baseball: Delphos St. John’s tops Leipsic in district final

HAMLER — Cool nerves are good, regardless of age.

Delphos St. John’s captured a district baseball title for the first time in more than a decade Friday, as the Blue Jays defeated Leipsic 3-2 in Division IV play at Patrick Henry.

The Blue Jays improve to 20-9 on the season and will now move on to regionals. They will face Columbus Grove in the round of 16 on Thursday at Elida.

Freshman pitcher Cam Elwer delivered a complete game victory for St. John’s, allowing four hits. Three of those came in the first inning. He walked one and struck out seven.

Blue Jays manager Jerry Jackson said, “He’s got the presence on the mound. He doesn’t let the pressure get to him.”

Jackson added that the Blue Jays have been successful in close games, and are taking nothing for granted. “This team is resilient, and they feed off each other,” he said.

This is the first district title for St. John’s since the 2011 season.

Leipsic got one run early and one late, with DSJ getting what it needed in between. They scored once in the third and two more in the fourth.

Braylon Metzger had an RBI on a bases-loaded walk, Grant Ulm drove in one run and T.J. Werts scored on an error.

For the Vikings, Tommy Offenbacher also went the distance. He allowed five hits, walked four and struck out one.

Elwer retired the first two batters he faced, then gave up a single by Ethan Zeisloft through the right side of the infield.

Offenbacher had a single into center, and Caleb Ellerbrock’s hit to right drove in Zeisloft. A flyout to center then shut things down.

Landon Grothaus beat out an infield hit to short to lead off for the Jays, but he would be left on base.

Both teams went in order in the second and Elwer cruised through the top of the third.

In the bottom half, Griffin Mericle was hit by a pitch. He then moved to second when a pickoff throw by Leipsic’s catcher sailed high.

A walk to Tyce McClain turned the lineup over. Grothaus dropped down a bunt to the third base side and reached the bag safely to load the bases.

Offenbacher then walked Metzger, forcing in Mericle and tying the game at 1.

Elwer then hit a fly that was caught in right, but seemed like it would put the Jays ahead. McClain barrelled down the line, but a throw to the plate was in time to make it a double play.

A couple pitches later, Metzger stole second. Grothaus was then caught too far down the line from third and was picked off to end the inning.

Elwer had a one out walk in the top of the fourth, but a force play and strikeout looking kept it square.

After getting the leadoff man out, Offenbacher walked Collin Feathers. He stole second, and moved to third when Werts’ grounder to third was mishandled.

Ulm then smacked a single between first and second, scoring Feathers. Mericle reached on a fielder’s choice. After getting the out at second, the throw to first skipped low and into foul territory. That was enough for Werts to score and make it 3-1. The extra run would prove important later on.

Following a quick fifth on both ends, Jeremy Tavarez of Leipsic singled to center. The ball got past the fielder, Tavarez kept going. He sprinted all the way over to third.

After a lineout to second, Offenbacher hit a grounder to second. St. John’s fired it to the dish as Tavarez slid in. The catcher was unable to hold on to the ball and the Vikings were back within one run. Offenbacher advanced on a sacrafice bunt and balk. But a flyout to center left him at third and the Jays still in the lead.

St. John’s had a chance to add to its margin in the bottom half. A hit by Gerker, a walk to Werts and single by Ulm loaded the bases with one out. Offenbacher got two flyouts to escape the jam unscathed.

Elwer trotted back out for the seventh. He snared a hard liner off the bat of Adam Lammers for out number one. He then got the last two Vikings both looking.

Thursday’s game against Columbus Grove will start at 5 p.m. The regional final is the next day, also at 5 p.m.