By Cort Reynolds

FINDLAY__The visiting Bluffton High School baseball team lost 17-0 to Liberty-Benton in a Northwest 1 Div. V sectional final on Saturday, May 23. 

L-B poured it on with nine runs in the first inning. The Eagles plated five runs in the second inning and added three more scores in the third frame.

L-B out-hit the Pirates 14-1, and took advantage of five Bluffton errors.

The Pirates finished the season 3-14-1 after the defeat that was shortened to five innings by the 10-run mercy rule.

Second-seeded Liberty-Benton, the Blanchard Valley Conference champion at 10-0, improved to 17-5 with the home win.

Eagle hurler Jackson Knepper earned the pitching win with four innings of one-hit shutout pitching. He struck out six and walked two. Knepper aided his own cause by hitting two singles and driving in three runs. 

L-B’s Kooper Leatherman collected three runs batted in with a pair of doubles. Connor Barbara swatted a double, singled and drew a walk. He had two RBI and scored three runs. 

Eagle Grady Latta slapped two singles, scored twice and drove in three runs. Reid Irwin hit two singles, and Gavyn Neuleib slugged an RBI double.

Bluffton senior starting pitcher Robby Taylor suffered the loss.

The Eagles advance to the district semifinals in Bluffton on Thursday, May 28 at 4:30 p.m. 

L-B will play the survivor between third seed Paulding (11-11) and sixth seed Fostoria (5-16). That sectional final was rained out Saturday and is rescheduled for Monday, May 25.

Archbold (19-5) is the top seed in the upper half of the Bluffton bracket. 

The district finals are slated for Saturday, May 30 in Defiance at 2 p.m.

The Pirates lost 12-2 in six innings to visiting former league foe Paulding (11-11) on Thursday, May 21.

WP-Knepper LP-Taylor

2B-Leatherman 2 (LB), Barbara (LB), Neuleib (LB)