BATH TOWNSHIP — Nine up, nine down ... again.
For the seventh straight season, Defiance captured the outright Western Buckeye League baseball championship with a perfect 9-0 record after defeating Lima Bath 6-0 on the road on Tuesday. The win was the 68th straight for the Bulldogs (23-1, Division II, No. 1 Prep Baseball Report, No. 2 OHSBCA) in WBL play, keeping alive an incredible streak that began in late 2006. The WBL title, meanwhile, was the 23rd in school history.
“Coach (Rick) Weaver asked me when we were walking off the field if I thought we would run the table this year, and I looked at him and told him, ‘no way,’” commented Defiance mentor Tom Held, who improved to 126-9 in WBL games in 15 seasons. “It’s such a credit to the kids for making this happen, what an accomplishment.
“This was one of those years when there really was a clear-cut favorite, other than ourselves, in Wapakoneta with everyone returning from a state runner-up team,” continued Held. “To beat Johnny Crawford and Wapak on the road, to beat Cory Wilder and Shawnee on the road, and to beat some very good teams like Bath here today ... our kids earned it, they earned it. I’m just very, very proud of these guys.”
The Bulldogs were able to take an early lead in the top of the first inning without the benefit of a hit against the Wildcats (14-12, 5-4 WBL). Bath starter Colin Gossard was slated to throw around 40 pitches to tune up for Bath’s tournament game Friday, but he was unable to command the strike zone.
Gossard hit lead-off man Austin Hancock with a pitch, before walking the next three batters to force Hancock home. Adam Schaffer plated the second run on a sacrifice fly and Defiance was out in front, 2-0. Bath coach Brian Jesko admitted that it’s tough to beat Defiance when you makes mistakes.
“In that first inning we got ourselves in a hole, and obviously you can’t give a team like Defiance any sort of advantage,” said Jesko. “We were trying to get Colin a tune-up for Friday, but he didn’t have his best stuff and it just wasn’t his day. I’m not disappointed, I thought Eric Jordan and Taren Sullivan came in and battled on the mound for us.
“Weston Rivers was awesome from the beginning for them, and Rob Zeigler came in and shut us down in the end,” continued Jesko. “There’s a reason they’ve won as many league titles and league games in a row like they have ... on most nights they don’t do anything to hurt themselves, and they take advantage of it when you do.”
The two runs proved to be plenty for Rivers, who improved to 7-0. The DHS senior lefty was a perfect 18-for-18 in first-pitch strikes against the Wildcats, finishing with nine strikeouts, no walks and just two hits allowed, both singles.
“Today may have been the best command Weston had of the knuckleball all season,” said Held. “He was really, really good. It helped that we got a couple of runs early against a good pitcher, in fact all of Bath’s pitchers were very good. This really was a very good win today.”
Said Rivers: “It’s nice to go out with a 2-0 lead, but my main focus was to throw first-pitch strikes tonight and I did that. I didn’t throw as hard as I normally do after pitching some on Friday, but I thought I threw all my pitches for strikes. To win the league title today unbeaten again, after all the hard work this past winter, feels amazing.”
With Rivers in command, Defiance added four insurance runs in the sixth inning to move in front 6-0, with all the runs coming with two outs already in the books.
A bloop double with one out by senior catcher Joe Keween got DHS started. A walk to pinch-hitter Drake Jimenez, before a fielder’s choice ground-out by Austin Hancock, left runners on the corners with two down. After Hancock swiped second without a throw, Dom Gentile hit a hard ground ball toward short that took a wicked bounce, but was knocked down by Bath shortstop Doug Sanders. Sanders was unable to make a play, and Keween scored and Hancock moved to third, bringing Zeigler to the plate.
After Gentile made it to second on a botched double steal play, Zeigler hit a double off third baseman Seth Collins to plate Hancock and Gentile. A walk to DH Austin Yant brought pinch-hitter Wes Detter to the dish, and he delivered with a RBI double to left-center to push the advantage to, 6-0.
“The ball I hit in the sixth was a bloop to center, and with no one covering the bag I was able to get to second,” said Keween. “I’ll take it, a hit is a hit, and I was fortunate to be in a position to take an extra base. It was good to get those insurance runs and finish off this win. For us to finish 9-0 again in the WBL ... it feels great.”
Zeigler came on in the sixth for Defiance and allowed just one baserunner, on a walk, in finishing off the victory. Zeigler, a senior, was pleased to help finish off another WBL title.
“To be 9-0 in the league and prove people wrong, a lot of people had doubts we could this, so it feels amazing,” Zeigler said. “To get some big wins on the road at Wapakoneta and Shawnee, and here today ... I think we proved what were capable of and what hard work can accomplish.”
Zeigler and Schaffer each finished with a single and double to lead the Bulldogs, who return to action on Tuesday when they welcome in Archbold on Senior Night.

Defiance      200  004  0  -  6  8  1
Lima Bath    000  000  0  -  0  2  0
Records: Defiance 23-1 (9-0 WBL), Lima Bath 14-12 (5-4 WBL).
Winning pitcher: Weston Rivers (5 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 9 strikeouts, 0 walks). Other: Rob Zeigler.
Losing pitcher: Colin Gossard (1 inning, 2 runs, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts, 3 walks). Others: Eric Jordan, Taren Sullivan.
Leading hitters: (Defiance, 8 hits) - Rob Zeigler single, double; Adam Schaffer single, double; Wes Detter double; Joe Keween double. (Lima Bath, 2 hits).