FHS opens baseball season with victory

Baseball Mondays GameFINDLAY 17SEVIER 12SEVIER, Tenn. – Findlay opened its 2026 baseball season on Monday by outslugging Sevier County, Tenn. 17-12.The Trojans scored eight times in the top of the second inning to open 10-0 led, and survived a five-run Sevier County rally in the bottom of the seventh.Grant Emans, a junior outfielder, singled, doubled, tripled and drove in three runs. Senior first baseman Reece Stillings, a returning first-team all-league player for the Trojans, knocked in four runs with a single and a double and junior outfielder Jackson Fletchner had a pair of base hits, walked twice and scored three times.Senior centerfielder Luke Crates had two hits, drove in two runs and scored four. Third baseman Caleb Kanney and second baseman Hunter Sertell, both sophomores, added RBI singles for the Trojans, who had no seniors on the 2025 roster but won 10 straight games during a late-season run and went 19-8 overall in Jordan Nell's second year as FHS coach. It was the program's most wins since the 2021 season.Cole Hull, a junior right-hander, earned the pitching win against Sevier County. Cooper McKanna, a junior left-hander, sophomore Hunter Sertell, Kanney and Crates also took a turn on the mound as Nell used five pitchers in the game. The other half of the Findlay battery was senior catcher Alex Gonzalez, a second-team all-league pick last season.Findlay pitchers issued 13 walks in the game. Sevier County also brought out heavy lumber with Hayden Parrish (3 RBI), James Hooker (2 RBI), Jacob Greene and Zane Miller (3 RBI) – the Nos 2, 3, 4 and 5 batters in the lineup – all belting home runs and No. 7 hitter Wyatt Kees (3 RBI) lining two doubles. Findlay outhit the Smoky Bears (9-11), who were playing their 20th game of the spring season, 14-12, though, and cashed in on seven walks, six beaned batters and three Sevier County errors to keep the bases juiced. MONDAY'S GAMEFindlay 280 112 3—17 12 1Sevier 013 300 5—12 10 3WP—Hull (1-0). LP—McCoy. TOP HITTERS: (Fin) Fletchner 2-1B, RBI; Crates 2-1B, 2 RBI; Kanney 1B, 2 RBI; Stillings 1B, 2B, 4 RBI; Sertell 1B, RBI; Emans 1B, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI. (SC) Parrish 1B, HR, 3 RBI; Hooker HR, 2 RBI; Greene HR, RBI; Miller HR, RBI; Kees 2-2B, 3 RBI.JV GOLD: Findlay 15, Toledo St. Francis 5JV BLUE: Findlay 4, Toledo St. Francis 1 Tuesday's Games COLUMBUS GROVE 13 OTTOVILLE 3 COLUMBUS GROVE --Gage Sautter threw five innings and struck out eight, and Columbus Grove hammered Ottoville Tuesday, 13-3. Sautter also helped himself at the plate, singling twice, driving in a run and scoring four times as the Bulldogs improved to 2-1. Jacob Ricker singled and had three RBIs for Columbus Grove, while Brady Basinger doubled, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs. Alex Meyer doubled and scored three times for the Bulldogs; Trent Wynkoop singled and plated two runs. ADA 5 BLUFFTON 4 ADA -- Ada scored single runs in five innings, and walked off Bluffton in the seventh, 5-4. Colt Archer doubled and drove in two runs for the Bulldogs. Javen Crawfis doubled and plated two runs for the Pirates Softball ADA 9BLUFFTON 4ADA – Ada's Gabby Fleming homered to headline a 10-hit attack and freshman Tea Griffith starred at the plate and inside the pitching circle in the Bulldogs 9-4 win over Bluffton on a wet and windy Tuesday night.Fleming (1B, HR, RBI), Griffith (2B, 3B, 2 RBI) and Shay Smith (2-1B, RBI) had two hits each and Aubrey Jordan added a two-run single. Griffith, a freshman, gave up just three hits as Ada improved to 5-0 heading into today's matchup with Liberty-Benton. It will be the Blanchard Valley Conference opener for the Eagles (2-3) and Bulldogs, who finished second and third respectively in the 2025 BVC standings.Peyton Worcester had two of Bluffton's three hits.Bluffton 002 011 0—4 3 1Ada 500 022 x—9 10 2WP—Griffith. LP—Worcester. TOP HITTRS: (Blu) Worcester 2-1B; Myers 1B, RBI. (Ada) Fleming 1B, HR, RBI; Griffith 2B, 3B, 2 RBI; Smith 2-1B, RBI; Jordan 1B, 2 RBI; Preston 2B; Shanks 2B.RECORDS: Ada 5-0, Bluffton 1-1.(14-sub head)CorrectionFINDLAY – The home run Addie Sprang hit in Findlay High's softball game against Maumee on Monday was the 17th of her career, not the 16th as was stated in Tuesday's edition of The Courier.Based on stats compiled since the 1991 season, Sprang's 17 career homers are a school record. ScheduleWednesday's EventsBASEBALLFindlay vs. MarysvilleAda at Liberty-Benton (BVC)Elmwood at Arcadia (BVC)Riverdale at Arlington (BVC)Bucyrus at Upper Sandusky (N10)Buckeye Central at Carey (N10)Pandora-Gilboa at McComb (BVC)Columbus Grove at Elida SOFTBALLBowling Green at FindlayAda at Liberty-Benton (BVC)Elmwood at Arcadia (BVC)Riverdale at Arlington (BVC)Bucyrus at Upper Sandusky (N10)Buckeye Central at Carey (N10)Van Buren at Leipsic (BVC)Pandora-Gilboa at McComb (BVC)Van Buren at Patrick Henry