Fulton County Ohio Media

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Forced by the weather to play on Memorial Day, the Swanton Bulldogs walked off their home field at Memorial Park for the final time as winners, and as champions after defeating fellow NWOAL rival, the Delta Panthers 2-0 to win the OHSAA Division V Baseball Sectional Title.  After an estimated eight or nine decades of play on the field, adjacent to South Main Street at Memorial Park, the Swanton High School Varsity Baseball Team will begin the 2027 baseball season on a new field located on the school’s campus.

The game itself was a fitting send-off as both teams, playing for the chance to move on, battled each other in a classic pitching duel with Swanton’s Carson Bond getting the better of Delta fireballer Carlos DeSantos in complete game efforts.  The Bulldogs and the Panthers managed just two hits each, but it was only Swanton that was able to take advantage of putting runners on base, and only in the second inning.

In the bottom of the second, Owen Hurst worked a walk from DeSantos and later scooted to second base on a wild pitch.  Down two strikes after failed bunt attempts, Brendan Upham flared a single down the right field line, scoring Hurst and giving Swanton a 1-0 lead.  Upham moved to second after a walk to Drew LaPoint and was replaced by pinch runner Landon Hendricks. A passed ball sent Hendricks to third and he came home on a ground ball to short by Drew Koder to put the Bulldogs up 2-0 after two innings.

Pitching dominated the next three innings until Delta threatened in the top of the sixth when they put a runner on third base with one out with DeSantos, whose strong hitting matches his pitching, coming to the plate.  Bond was able to get DeSantos to pop out to third and the next batter to ground out to short to end the threat.  In the top of the seventh, the Panthers went down 1-2-3 and Bond and the Bulldogs cashed their ticket to the District Semis.

The win moves Swaton’s record to 16-10 on the season.  They will now face the 22-5 Archbold Blue Streaks on Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM at Defiance High School.  Delta concludes their season at 11-12.

It was the end of an era for Swanton High School baseball after decades and decades of calling the lower diamond at Memorial Park their home field.  Of course, there will be countless memories for those who played or watched Bulldog games there.  But the new field, along with the new softball field, on school property for the first time in the history of Swanton High School, will be in line and measure up to most high school fields on the Bulldogs’ schedule.

No longer will fly balls need to reach Main Street in left field or the creek bordering right filed or travel 400+ feet in center field to the Village’s brick marquee to be ruled a home run.  Fielders will not need to be wary of vehicles pulling into the park while chasing down foul balls lifted to the left side of the diamond.  Players will be able to walk to practice and home games instead of driving or having to catch a ride.  Coaches and other volunteers will not continually have to battle field conditions on a baseball diamond that, basically sits in a flood plain. 

This sectional contest being delayed two days for that very reason is evidence enough that it is time to move on. To move on to something that will give our student athletes a better opportunity to develop their skills as well as a sense of pride when facing other schools, and will long be an asset to Swanton Local Schools and the community. 

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Photo: 2026 D5 Sectional Baseball Champions – Swanton Bulldogs