Bremen Athletics

Coming off a tough 8-3 loss in Walkerton on Thursday, the Lions took the field at Four Winds in a winner-take-all conference matchup against 15-5 John Glenn, who came in at 8-1 in the INSC. Behind a bold effort from starting pitcher JJ Cencelewski, the Lions put 12 runners across in five innings to take home a conference title and move to 14-4 (9-1) on the season. A raucous Bremen crowd and dugout combined with some small ball and defense paved the way for the Lions. Bremen added to its lead every inning after the 1st and made only one error to Glenn's seven. Cencelewski picked up his fourth conference win with a complete game, only allowing five hits and two runs. Both teams jockeyed for position in the first inning. Glenn opened by putting two runners on with two outs, taking advantage of two dropped fly balls by the Lions. Cencelewski bounced back by striking out the next hitter, stranding both runners. In the bottom half, the Glenn centerfielder ran down a long drive off the bat of C Zack Rouch en route to a 1-2-3 inning. Glenn opened the second with a double, but Bremen bounced back setting the next three down in order. The Lions took the lead in the bottom of the second, scoring four while only hitting one ball out of the infield. LF Zack Buszkiewicz reached on an error, SS Aiden Alvarado walked, and 2B Jace Pippenger bunted - leading to another error - to load the bases. Senior 3B Max Barnes ripped a first pitch, two run single to left, breaking the tension and getting Bremen an early lead. CF Corban Van Vuren got a sac bunt down and - after a strikeout- RF Jack Wildauer also bunted, this time plating two on a throwing error by the pitcher. The Falcons answered back in the top of the 3rd with two of their own. After a fly out to start the frame, Glenn went walk, single, RBI fielder's choice, single, single, walk - cutting the game to 4-2 and driving up Cencelewski's pitch count. Bremen responded in the bottom half, however, after Cencelewski drew a walk to lead off and advanced to second on a single by Buszkiewicz. Cencelewski stole third and scored on a throwing error, putting Bremen up 5-2. Alvarado then hit a grounder to short and reached on another error, putting Lions at the corners with no outs. Another Lion run came in on an errant pick off, making it 6-2. Van Vuren singled home Alvarado for the third run of the inning, putting Bremen up 7-2 heading to the fourth. Cencelewski worked a 1-2-3 top of the inning to get a fired up Bremen squad back into the dugout. Jack Wildauer led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on a single by Rouch. Courtesy runner Maddux Hickman stole second and advanced to third on a single by Cencelewski. After another stolen base, Buzkiewicz ripped an extra base hit down the left field line, pushing the score to 10-2 Lions. He scored his third run of the game on a base hit from 2B Jace Pippenger. Cencelewski and catcher Rouch worked another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 5th, needing only 8 pitches to get their group back up to hit. 1B Landon Bates drew a leadoff walk, stole second and third base, then scored on a deep fly out from Rouch to secure the run rule and an INSC title for Bremen. The Lions will take on Columbia City tomorrow at Huntington University with a 4:00pm first pitch. A special shout out and note of appreciation for the entire Bremen school/sports community, who defended its reputation as one of the best around during tonight's high-stakes matchup. Your dedicated support does not go unnoticed in the dugout. Thank you to everyone involved behind the scenes in making the Four Winds game happen and for going above and beyond to ensure it was a postive experience for the players. Friday, May 15th Bremen 12 Glenn 2 Bremen 9-1 - INSC Champs Hitters LF Zack Buszkiewicz: 2-3, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, SB 3B Max Barnes: 1-3, R, 2 RBI C Zack Rouch: 1-3, 2 RBI, GW Sac Fly in bottom of 5th SS Aiden Alvarado: 0-2, 2 R, BB, SB Pitchers SP JJ Cencelewski: 5.0 IP, W, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K // 1-2. 2 R, BB, SB