Youthful Bluffton will play at Elmwood Wednesday, May 19 in Div. III first round sectional baseball action. The Pirates (0-21, 0-7 NWC) were seeded 13th out of 13 teams, while Elmwood was 11th in the Elida district drawing Sunday. The winner will visit top seed Coldwater (15-5, 6-1 MAC) May 21 at 5 p.m. in the second round.  Eastwood was seeded second, while Allen East (18-8, 4-3 NWC) was seeded third.
 

By Cort Reynolds
BLUFFTON - The host Bluffton softball team was blanked 5-0 by backyard league rival Allen East in a Northwest Conference makeup contest Friday evening.

The Lady Pirates fell to 6-13 overall and finished 2-6 in the NWC with the defeat. AE improved to 14-9 and 4-3 in league play with the shutout win.

Neither team scored in the first frame. The Lady Mustangs plated three runs in the top of the second inning, then added two more scores in the third to provide more than enough offensive production to win.

Winning pitcher Nikki Thaxton also doubled twice and drove home a run to aid her own cause. Aubrey Young hit a double, singled and knocked in two runs.

AE's Emma Tobe collected two hits, while Kyleigh Rumer added a single.

Bluffton's Sophie Bricker amassed two of the seven Pirate hits. Kennedy Jordan, Riley Busch, Ashley Fleece, Dyllan Worcester and Rebekah Hoff each added one hit.      

AE out-hit the Pirates, 12-7. Bluffton committed one error, while the Mustangs made no miscues.

    123    456    7    R    H    E    
AE    032    000    0    5    12    0                
Blu    000    000    0    0    7    1                
WP-Thaxton        LP-Davis (2-5)                
2B-Thaxton 2 (AE), Young (AE)

The ninth-seeded Pirate girls play at sixth seed Leipsic (10-8) in first round sectional action Monday, May 10. The winner advances to the second round at LCC May 13. 

Bluffton upset both higher-seeded teams recently in the regular season.

Bluffton boys shut out by Mustangs
BLUFFTON - The host Bluffton baseball team lost a five-inning, run-rule shortened contest 11-0 to local league rival Allen East Friday evening.

The Allen County rivalry loss dropped the Pirate record to 0-21 overall and 0-7 in the NWC this spring. AE improved to 17-7 and 4-3 in the NWC with the win.

Mustang Garrett Newland hurled a five-inning two-hitter to earn the win. He struck out seven Pirates and walked none. Newland also doubled and scored to aid his own cause. 

Carter Young compiled three hits, two runs and two runs batted in for AE. Jordan Motter doubled, singled and had two RBI. Blaine Belcher hit a double, singled, scored one run and drove in one run.

Chase Miller added a double and scored two runs.
 
    F        
AE    11                    
Blu    0                
WP-Newland
2B-Miller (AE), Young (AE), Motter (AE), Belcher (AE)

Bluffton plays a makeup league game at Columbus Grove (8-9, 4-3 NWC) Wednesday, May 12 in the Pirate conference finale.