RURAL MIDDLE POINT — It was definitely not a pitchers’ duel on a windy Saturday afternoon on the Lancer Field diamond as the Jefferson Wildcats outslugged the host Lincolnview Lancers 24-6 in a Northwest Conference contest.

The game was shortened to five frames because of the 10-run mercy rule.

“It was not a pitchers’ duel,” Jefferson coach Troy Montenerey stated.

Lincolnview head man Brad Mendenhall agreed.

“The conditions were really hard and tough. Every fly ball was an adventure,” Mendenhall began.

Jefferson started off the scoring to open the contest when Cory Bastian (3-for-4, 4 runs, a walk, a double and a home run) singled and romped home on Sean Fisher’s RBI double. Fisher (2-for-4, 2 runs, 4 RBIs, a walk, double) came home to give the Jeffcats a 2-0 advantage on Josh Miller’s (2-for-5, 1 run, 2 RBIs) RBI single.

The Lancers took the lead in their half of the first when Austin Kayser reached on a Fisher miscue and came around the score on Clayton Longstreth’s (1-for-3) double to left. Kyle Thatcher (2-for-2, 1 run, a walk) singled and Longstreth was plated when Miller made an error. Taylor Hoehn was plunked by Wildcat hurler Mike Rahrig (4-0; 5 innings, 6 runs, 4 earned, 5 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks, 1 hit batter). Brock Profit reached on a fielder’s choice by Rahrig when he threw late attempting to get Thatcher at third. Ian Bracey’s 2-bagger to right scored Hoehn and Profit. Bracey scored to give the Lancers an early 5-2 pad when Brady Niese’s grounder dribbled passed Miller but Fisher outraced Niese to the sack to end the inning.

Austin Clarkson (3-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 doubles) opened the Jefferson (9-2, 4-0 NWC) second with an infield single and Craig Carder (2-for-3, 2 runs) followed with a knock to center field. Matthew Antalis (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, a double) hit an RBI single to center to score Clarkson. Fisher singled to the center-field fence, with Carder scoring and Antalis taking third, with Fisher getting to second on the throw to third. Miller’s RBI single to center plated Antalis. Ryan Kortokrax’s (2-for-3, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, a double) RBI single to center scored Fisher. Aaron Schuerman (3-for-4, 3 runs, 4 RBIs, a double and triple, 1 sacrifice, a stolen base) singled to right, scoring Miller. Schuerman then swiped second. Matt Gerdeman (2-for-4, 2 runs, a RBI, hit by a pitch) advanced Schuerman to third on an infield single. Schuerman scored on Clarkson’s double but Clarkson was caught in a rundown. Jefferson thus took the lead 9-5.

Lancers trimmed the deficit to 9-6 in their half of the second when Kayser singled to right and stole second. Longstreth walked and both advanced one base on Thatcher’s sacrifice. Kayser scored on a Rahrig wild offering.

That was the last the Lancers (2-9, 0-4 NWC) could get off Rahrig.

“Mike settled down,” Montenerey commented. “He did a good job. We played good defense behind Mike. We’re happy to get an NWC win.”

Bracey relieved Hoehn, with Hoehn playing third base. Jefferson increased its pad when Bastian homered over “The Monster” in left and onto the track in the third. Lincolnview got a nifty twin-killing after Fisher singled. Miller lined to the Lancer shortstop, who alertly threw to first baseman Longstreth, who tagged Fisher out attempting to scamper back to first base.

Antalis tripled to right and scored on Chris Boroff’s miscue to begin the fourth. Gerdeman singled to left. Clarkson’s double to the gap in center scored Gerdeman. Carder singled to deep left and took third on Antalis’ 2-bagger, scoring Clarkson. Bracey was relieved by Caleb Girod on the hill. Bastian walked, loading the bases. Fisher’s RBI walk scored Carder. One out later, Kortokrax’s RBI walk scored Antalis. Schuerman’s sacrifice to right scored Bastian to put the guests up 17-6.

Lincolnview stranded two in the fourth when, with one gone, Kayser reached via the base-on-balls route and, one out later, Jeremy Morris got an infield single.

Pinch-hitter Taylor Hesseling (2-for-2, 1 run, 3 runs batted in, double, home run) slammed a homer over the Monster in left to start the fifth for the Wildcats. Pinch-batter Jordan Jettinghoff (2-for-2, 1 run, 1 RBI, double) singled to center and pinch-hitter Adam Wollenhaupt (1-for-2, run) singled to right, with Jettinghoff scoring on Bastian’s double to center. Fisher’s sacrifice to right plated Wollenhaupt. One out later, Kortokrax reached on a base-on-balls and took third on Schuerman’s double to right.

Longstreth took over on the mound and plunked Gerdeman. Hesseling’s double to left scored Kortokrax and Schuerman to make the final score, 24-6, in favor of the Jeffersonians.

Hoehn, the starter and loser for the Lancers, went two frames, surrendering nine earned runs on 12 hits. Bracey went 1-plus frames, giving up seven tallies on seven hits and striking out one. Girod was on the hill for the Lancers for 1 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs on five hits and putting four Wildcats on base via the walk route. Longstreth was on the mound for 1/3 of a frame, surrendering one earned tally on two hits, hitting one Jefferson batter and fanning one.

“We had routine plays that we missed,” Mendenhall concluded. “When you give a good hitting team like Jefferson more than three outs, that’s what is going to happen. We have to keep improving.”

The Wildcats will resume NWC play today when Jefferson travels to Bluffton to do battle with the Pirates at 5 p.m.

“Lincolnview’s got a young team,” Montenerey concluded. “They are going through what we did last year.”

The Lancers will journey to Spencerville for a 5 p.m. NWC battle with the Bearcats today.

Score by Innings:

Jefferson    2 7 1    7 7 - 24 26 2

Lincolnview    5 1 0    0 0 - 6 5 1

WP: Mike Rahrig; LP: Taylor Hoehn. 2B: Austin Clarkson 2 (DJ), Cory Bastian (DJ), Taylor Hesseling (DJ), Sean Fisher (DJ), Aaron Schuerman (DJ), Clayton Longstreth (LV). 3B: Aaron Schuerman (DJ), Matthew Antalis (DJ). HR: Cory Bastian (DJ), Taylor Hesseling (DJ).