The Archbold Blue Streaks took a 6-1 lead into the top of the seventh inning in their OHSAA DIII Sectional Baseball Championship game against the Pauling Panthers at Archbold’s Memorial Park then watched the visitors battle back with five runs to tie the score then one more in the top of the eighth to take a 7-6 lead. Battling the wind and rain as well as the Panthers, the Streaks responded by loading the bases with no one out in the bottom half of the inning and rode Mason Siegel’s two-run single to an 8-7 victory.
Siegel’s clutch hit drove home Devon Morris for the tie and Krayton Kern with the winning run to advance to the DIII District Semi-Finals to be played at Defiance High School on Thursday at 5:00 PM against the Evergreen Vikings who defeated the Otsego Knights 9-5 in another Sectional-Final. Kern and Dominique Carson led the Blue Streak offense with three hits apiece. In addition to his walk-off two-RBI hit, Siegel had another hit and a walk.
Jayson Seiler started the game and threw seven innings in picking up the win under unusual circumstances. After issuing a leadoff walk to begin the seventh inning, Archbold head coach Dick Selgo replace Seiler with Kern. Kern had control issues, was replaced by Siegel who struggled with control as well. Seiler was then reinserted to get the final out of the seventh then pitched the eight inning and was the pitcher of record when came back for the win.
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for no charge courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
The Evergreen Vikings took full advantage of two errors, two hit batsmen and four hits to score seven times in the bottom of the first inning and went on to defeat the Fairview Apaches 14-8 at Simon Field in Metamora to open the OHSAA Sectional Tournament on Wednesday.
Hunter Vaculik slashed three singles, stole two bases, scored twice and drove in one run to power the Viking offense. Chase Kirk had three RBI with two singles, Isaac Overfield brought home two runs on two hits and Brady Kanneman singled home two runs to help stave off several Apache rallies. Cory Kanneman picked up the win on the mound allowing three earned runs on three hits, six walks and five strikeout. Jackson Grime had two singles, a double and three RBI for the Apaches.
Evergreen (10-13) now takes on the Otsego Knights (16-8) for the Sectional Title today at 5:00 PM at Otsego High School.
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Photo: Hunter Vaculik drives a pitch into centerfield for one of his three hits in the win.
The Swanton Bulldogs and the Montpelier Locomotives met at 5/3 Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens, in downtown Toledo on a warm and sunny Tuesday afternoon in a non-league baseball game. Swanton broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the bottom of the third inning and went on to beat Montpelier 9-3.
Bulldog senior Ryan O’Shea went the distance, pitching seven innings, giving up one earned run on five hits, one walk and eight strikeouts to pick up the win. O’Shea also helped his own cause with a single and two runs batted in. Drake Harris was 2 for 3 with three RBI. Leadoff hitter Luke Marlow had two hits and two runs scored. Trent Eitinear also had two hits and one run scored.
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
It takes a lot of courage for any high school student, who is about to begin their senior year, to leave their home, their family, their friends and especially their country, to begin a nine-month educational adventure as a foreign exchange student in another country that they have never before visited. It was a decision Arnau Gonzalez, a resident of Canet De Mar, a city in Spain of just under 15,000, about 30 miles from Barcelona, had contemplated for a couple of years. Initially encouraged by his father to make the move in his sophomore year, Arnau did not feel he was ready at that time, but felt more comfortable as a senior and made the decision that brought him to the United States of America and Swanton, Ohio to be more precise.
Applying to become a foreign exchange student is a lengthy and complex process and applicants must meet a strict criterion. “We started in October with an agency called United Studies. You have to fill out paperwork with your grades for the last three years,” explained Arnau. “Then through October, November, December they start asking you for more things like (academic) awards, blood test and other physical tests. Everything has to be fine.”
Once he survived that process, he next had to apply for a visa, another red tape-filled procedure that required a road trip to Spain’s capital city of Madrid. “It was difficult,” said Arnau. “There is a consulate in Barcelona but they made me go to the (American) embassy in Madrid, a six-hour ride by car. It is only open for five hours a day and they gave me a date of August 5th and I was coming here July 30th.” Fortunately, the embassy was able to reschedule the appointment for a better time for Arnau and his mother to make the trip. The appointment, in typical bureaucratic fashion, lasted 15 minutes, where he answered five routine questions, signed a document and got back on the road for the long ride back home. “You got to be kidding,” Arnau remembered thinking to himself and wondering why something so simple could not have been handled by his local consulate.
Once he finally arrived in America, he was placed with Swanton resident Samantha Kies, who had hosted exchange students in the past. Arnau was, of course, nervous and apprehensive about how he would be treated, as a foreigner, by his fellow students. His fears were quickly allayed when he joined the Bulldog soccer team and attended his first practice. Players befriended Arnau almost immediately and his soccer (Futbol) skills, along with his ability to speak English (mandatory school subject from first grade on) very well, allowed him to become accepted as one of the guys. Youth sports in Spain, unlike here in America, are not a part of the education system. Organized sports programs are conducted in what we would call a “club” format. In the American education system, the inclusion of sports brings student athletes together for a large part of the day and facilitates a tight knit bonding experience. This familiarity, combined with Arnau’s friendly and charismatic personality, made for a great experience for him and his now many American friends,
The Swanton High School Class of 2023 graduation is just a around the corner. Unfortunately, Arnau has other pressing issues that will not allow him to walk with his fellow Bulldogs on that day. He needs to return to Spain to take scheduled exams that will essentially decide his future. How well he performs on these exams will be added to the grades he received during his last two years in high school. His overall average will determine what to college he may apply and what he will be allowed to study. “That’s all that matters. Your last two years and those exams,” said Arnau, emphasizing the critical importance of his need to return home a little earlier than he would like. His goal is to be accepted into a university to study law and become an attorney. In Spain, students wanting to earn a law degree are not required to obtain an undergraduate degree prior to entering law school.
Swanton students, teachers and parents speak very highly of this young man from Spain and say he will be greatly missed. Arnau completely immersed himself in the educational and social culture of Swanton, Ohio, taking full advantage of his opportunity. He was even able to take side trips to Chicago and New York City. Chances are very good though, that America and Swanton have not seen the last of Arnau Gonzalez. He plans to visit at least once a year in the near future. There is no doubt he will be warmly welcomed back.
Needing a win to capture a share of the NWOAL Softball Championship, the Swanton Lady Bulldogs gave the league-leading Bryan Golden Bears all they could handle before dropping a hard-fought 2-1 pitching duel decision to the visiting Bears lst night. Swanton entered the contest with a 5-1 league record against Bryan’s 6-0 slate, However, on a larger scale, the DIII Lady Bulldogs were 9-7 overall while the DII Lady Golden Bears sported a 16-1 record and Number One seed in their upcoming OHSAA Sectional Tournament.
Swanton starting pitcher Taylor Forrest was brilliant in the circle, holding Bryan hitless through the first four innings and getting several great defensive plays from her teammates. In the top of the fifth, the Lady Bears broke through, scoring two runs on one hit and an error. The Lady Bulldogs responded with a run in the bottom half when Kyleigh Shinaver scored from third on a bunt, but had another runner cut down at the plate when trying to score on a pitch that got past the Bryan catcher. The Lady Bears were able to hold on from there to win the NWOAL Softball Title outright, finishing at 7-0.
The loss dropped Swanton to 5-2 in the league and a third-place finish behind 6-1 Liberty Center and Bryan. Forrest finished the game allowing just two singles and one earned run with eight strikeouts. Payton DeTray had two hits and made two outstanding catches on foul pop-ups from her position behind the plate.
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Photo: Kyleigh Shinaver scores ahead of the throw.
In consecutive trips to the plate, both with two runners on base, Alexa Faber drove fastballs over the outfield fence for home runs and six RBI to lead the Swanton Lady Bulldogs past the Delta Lady Panthers 12-2 in five innings on Thursday afternoon. Faber finished the game with three hits, a walk, and three runs scored. Swanton leadoff hitter, Lyla Carrizales, scored four runs with two hits and two walks. Taylor Forrest threw all five innings from the circle, allowing one earned run on six hits, no walks and seven strikeouts. Mackenzie Clapp had two hits for the Panthers and Mya Martinez had a hit and an RBI.
With the win, the Lady Bulldogs improve to 5-1 in the NWOAL and will have an opportunity to win an NWOAL Co-Championship when they take on the 6-0 Bryan Lady Golden Bears on Monday, May 1, at 5:00 PM in the final league game for both teams at Swanton’s Memorial Park.
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Taylor Forrest allowed two earned runs on six hits with eight strikeouts in pitching a complete game in a 13-3 victory for the Swanton Lady Bulldogs over the two-time defending NWOAL Softball Champion Evergreen Lady Vikings. The league win moves Swanton’s record to 4-1, just one game behind Bryan and Liberty Center, both at 5-0.
Despite the loss, two Lady Vikings blasted milestone home runs. Sophomore Kira Keller hit her first career round tripper in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, Junior Macy Chamberlain continued her assault on the Evergreen Softball record books when she drove a fastball over the fence in right-center field for her 14th home run of the year. The total set the single-season school record for home runs, eclipsing her own record of 13 home runs she hit in her freshman year.
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Photo: Taylor Forrest delivers a fastball to the plate.
The National Honor Society of Swanton High School held its Induction Ceremony on Thursday night. Here are a few photos from the evening.
The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achievement), leadership, service, and character. The National Honor Society requires some sort of service to the community, school, or other organizations. The time spent working on these projects contributes towards the monthly service hour requirement. The National Honor Society was founded in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
National Honor Society groups are commonly active in community service activities both in the community and at the school. Many chapters maintain a requirement for participation in such service activities.
In addition, NHS chapters typically elect officers, who, under the supervision of the chapter adviser, coordinate and manage the chapter as a student organization.
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Photo: NHS Inductees for the 2023-2024 academic school year.
Swanton Sophomore Adam Lemon allowed just two hits while striking out nine in throwing a six-inning complete game 11-0 shutout against the Delta Panthers in a non-league game in Delta. Lemon gave up a one-out double to Bryce Gillen in the third inning for Delta’s first hit, but fanned the next two batters to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard. Delta loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning on an error, a single and a walk before Carson Lemons snagged a hard ground to third and stepped on the bag to end the threat. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the sixth to reach the mercy rule mark and Lemon set the Panthers down in order in the bottom half of the inning to close out the game.
“A lot of off-speed pitches, getting that first pitch down for a strike,” said Lemon explaining the keys to his success in the 97-pitch victory. It was his second straight strong start of the week after his earlier outing against the Rossford Bulldogs. Junior Brody Waugh, Delta’s starter on the mound, pitched well through the first four innings, but Swanton was able to able to scratch across three runs in that time using a small-ball strategy. The Bulldogs scored eight runs in the final two innings to rout the Panthers.
Freshman Luke Marlow sparked the Bulldog offense, reaching base five times in five trips to the plate with two singles and three hit-by-pitches and scored three runs. Ryan O’Shea also reached base every time up with a single, two walks and a hit-by-pitch and scored twice. Both Lemon and Drew Smigelski added triples to the hit parade and Drake Harris blasted two doubles.
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In a battle of the Bulldogs, visiting Swanton took Rossford to extra innings before dropping a 6-5 decision to the hosting Bulldogs.
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Photo: Trent Eitiniear scores an early run for Swanton.
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