By Nicholas Huenefeld

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

PEMBERVILLE — The Pemberville Post 183 Steam lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to Findlay Post 3 on Thursday at Chopper Schmeltz Field to open the American Legion district tournament.

Pemberville’s Chase Dussel, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, singled with one out in the seventh to set himself up as the potential game-tying run.

Following a strikeout, Drew Tucker hit a deep line drive to the fence in right field. However, Findlay’s Talib Alzakwami made the game-clinching catch while crashing hard into the fence.

“We played great, but Findlay’s a great team, and (Benjamin) Best is one of the best in the area,” Pemberville coach Jacob McNulty said.

Behind a dominant start on the mound from Benjamin Best, who retired the first eight and nine of the first 10 batters he faced, Findlay jumped out to a 2-0 lead through three innings.

With one out in the fourth, Pemberville’s Kale Wilkins was hit by a pitch. He stole second moments later and advanced to third on a putout at first following a strikeout.

Elmwood grad Luke Armbruster then delivered an RBI single to right, trimming the deficit in half.

One inning later, Eastwood product Connor Norton led off with a single up the middle. Rossford grad Landen Reiter sacrificed him to second, and Dussel followed with a game-tying RBI single up the middle.

“I think early on we tried jumping on the fastball, but realized we have to sit back and be patient,” Pemberville head coach Jacob McNulty said. “We put up a battle. I told them in the top of the seventh, we’ve fought back and there’s no reason why we can’t do it here.

“Their right fielder just made a hell of a play.”

Eastwood grad Xander Gruelich started on the mound for Pemberville, tossing the first five innings and benefiting from a few great defensive plays.

In the fifth, Gruelich saw Armbruster open the frame with a diving catch in left.

Following that, two big relay throws kept the game tied at two apiece.

The first came when Findlay tried to stretch a double to right into a triple, but Wilkins finished off a strong relay with a putout at third. After a hit by pitch, Best delivered a double to right, but another relay produced the final out at home.

“It helps that we have three shortstops playing different positions,” McNulty said of Tucker, Wilkins and Dussel. “We made great relays to keep this a close game. We’re talking about a different story if we don’t make those relays.”

Dussel entered in relief for Pemberville in the sixth. After a groundout to begin the frame, a single and a double gave Findlay a 3-2 lead. Another relay play, however, snuffed out further damage in the next at bat.

Gruelich allowed three hits, three walks and a hit batter while earning a no decision. One of the two runs he allowed was unearned.

“(Gruelich) just fights,” McNulty said. “He’ll go anywhere I need him, too. He threw 94 pitches, and I guarantee he probably would have caught the sixth inning if I would have let him, but he just battled. He threw strikes, let them put it in play and trusted his defense behind him.”

Aside from Dussel’s big day offensively, Wilkins went 1-for-2 with a stolen base and a run.

Despite the loss, Pemberville remains alive in the double-elimination tournament. They’ll play at 1 p.m. on Saturday against the loser of Friday night’s winner’s bracket semifinal between Napoleon and Ottawa.

Pemberville’s path to the championship would need to include two wins on Saturday and two more on Sunday.

“I’m encouraged that we kept it close,” McNulty said. “Now we have to go through the gauntlet, but it’s tournament baseball. Anything can happen.”