Powerbuilt still alive at state Acme tourney
Bellefontaine bounces back to beat Vandalia-Butler after falling in first round

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COLDWATER - Bellefontaine Powerbuilt stumbled in the opening round of the state Acme tournament here Saturday, but got on track Sunday.

After falling to Perrysburg 7-4 in a first-round game Saturday afternoon, Powerbuilt rebounded with a 7-3 win over Vandalia-Butler on Sunday to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.

Bellefontaine (30-6) advances to play Lima Bath at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Coldwater.

“I think we came out a little tight (on Saturday),” said Bellefontaine head coach Jeremy Burrey. “Sometimes when you are in a doubleelimination tournament, you have the tendency to relax a little the first game. Now our backs are against the wall a little bit.”

Powerbuilt, which was haunted by five errors against Perrysburg, was much sharper against Vandalia-Butler.

“We played error-free defense and we must keep that focus as we work our way through the bracket,” said Burrey of Sunday’s win.

Adam Skelly was the hero in the win against Vandalia- Butler. Following singles by T.J. Garman and Jace Mills and a walk by Mark Duffy in the top of the second inning, Skelly blasted a grand slam home run over the center field fence to give Bellefontaine a 4-0 lead.

“The grand slam really set the tone for the game,” said Burrey. “We really stressed being aggressive at the plate and the kids answered the call.”

Vandalia-Butler scored a run in the fourth to make it 4-1, but Bellefontaine broke the game open with a three-run sixth inning to increase the lead to 7-1.

Vandalia-Butler tacked on two more runs in the seventh, but it was not nearly enough to catch Powerbuilt.

Austen Pulfer added an RBI single and Josh Kauffman had two RBI to aid the Bellefontaine offense.

Kauffman picked up the win on the hill. He went the distance, allowing just three hits while striking out four.

“Josh threw a good game for us,” said Burrey. “He had good command of his pitches and kept the Butler hitters off balance.”

Bellefontaine got off to a good start Saturday against Perrysburg, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Powerbuilt took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but Perrysburg scored six runs on just one hit to jump ahead 7-2. Bellefontaine made four errors, walked two batters and hit another batter during the nightmarish inning.

“We got off track in the sixth inning and did some things that were not typical of the rest of the season,” said Burrey.

Bellefontaine came back with two runs in the top of the seventh, but Perrysburg fought off the threat to get the win.

“I was pleased to see the kids come right back and rip the ball in the seventh inning,” said Burrey. “We just didn’t string together enough hits earlier in the game.”

Pulfer had a double and single to pace the Bellefontaine offense against Perrysburg. Mitchell added a pair of RBI singles.

Two full rounds of play have been completed in Coldwater. Patrick Henry and Northmont have advanced to Wednesday’s semifinal game. In addition to Bellefontaine and Lima Bath, Coldwater and Perrysburg are still alive in the loser’s bracket. A complete bracket can be seen at www.acmebaseballcongress.org.

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