KALIDA – Coldwater hurler Josh Kaup tossed a complete game on his way to earning a 7-3 victory Friday night against host Kalida and even helped his cause in the contest.
In the top of the first inning the visitors jumped out to a 1-0 lead with two gone on a single by Reece Dellinger and an error that allowed the Cavs first baseman to cross home plate ahead of a Kalida throw from the outfield.
Though their first at bat ended with a runners interference call for a double play, the Wildcats luck changed for the better in their second set of at bats.
Shortstop Jaden Smith led off the inning with a double to the outfield and was one of two Kalida runners to dent the Holy Name Ballpark scoreboard to give the home squad a 2-1 lead after two.
Trailing 2-1 the Cavaliers led off the fourth frame with Keegan Bruggeman drawing a walk that chased Wildcat starter Drew Buss in favor of Colin Hoffman.
After Kaup doubled off of Hoffman the Cavaliers jumped ahead 3-2 to take a lead they would never relinquish on a 2-RBI single off the bat of catcher Casey Goodwin.
Coldwater added two more to their advantage in the visiting fifth on an RBI single from Kaup and a sacrifice fly by Evan Harlamert to make it a four run lead on the scoreboard.
Trailing 7-2 after two more Cavalier runs came across in the top of the sixth the hosts found themselves set for a big inning but were quickly thwarted when Jaden Smith was thrown out trying to move to third on a single by Carson Klausing. Kalida did muster a run thanks to a single by Grant Vorst to trim the deficit to 7-3 but were unable to get any closer in their last at bat moments later.
“Josh Kaup is an experienced senior who has confidence in his abilities on the mound and at the plate. He is a bulldog who does whatever it takes to get a win and had a great performance both on the mound and with the bat with a pair of hits to help us grind out a win against a tough Kalida squad” said longtime Coldwater head coach Brian Harlamert.
Jaden Smith and Carson Klausing each extended their hitting streaks to three games each with a double and a single respectively while Braxton Howell moved his own personal streak to six games with his RBI single in the sixth.
Drew Buss (2-1) took the loss on the mound for the Wildcats (10-7) as he surrendered two runs over three innings of work with two hits allowed and three walks to just one strikeout.
Josh Kaup upped his record to 3-2 on the campaign for the Cavaliers (12-4) with a complete game 102 pitch performance of six hits and three runs allowed. Kaup struck out four while walking one and hitting a pair of Wildcats.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon as Coldwater will travel to Defiance for a battle with Franklin while Kalida treks to Antwerp for a midday tilt with the Archers.