HOLMES TOWNSHIP — In a game where the pitchers dominated, Wynford’s Grant McGuire was still dominant, even when he didn’t hit the ball.

The Royals’ Spencer Miller and Buckeye Central’s Isaac Hiler were locked in a pitching struggle. Over the first four innings, Miller had permitted just two hits and Hiler only one.

Yet, entering the fifth inning, Wynford held a 2-0 lead.

Things were about to change, as BC scored three times in the top of the frame, and the Royals had to play catch-up once again.

And Buckeye Central manager Chad Jensen had to make a difficult decision.

Wynford loaded the bases with one out in the inning, with McGuire coming to the plate.

What would the Bucks do? Jensen decided quickly. He intentionally walked McGuire, forcing in the tying run.

After that, Drew Johnson singled home a run as the Royals came away with a tough 4-3 win.

The loss was the first for the Bucks, who fell to 2-1 in the Northern 10, 3-1 overall. Wynford improved to 1-2 in the conference, 2-3 overall.

Jensen said that the decision to walk McGuire with the bases loaded was difficult, but one he had to make.

“We’re gonna be tied or we’re gonna be down two,” Jensen said. “He’s that good of a player. He is so good. He hit one off the handle (of the bat) and hit it to the warning track.

“I was talking to him, and he is such a great player,” Jensen added. “It’s all respect. We honestly felt that if we let him bat, it’s going to be 5-3, that’s why.”

Wynford manager Tom Smith said that his team has been resilient all season.

“The kids are confident in their offense,” Smith said. “The weather is holding us back a little bit, I think.

“But we have work still to do on our defense. We’ve got some stuff to clean up.”

But it ended up being a game where pitching was clearly in control. Miller finished scattering five hits with Hiler allowing four.

“Spencer only threw 75 pitches and that’s pretty good for a seven-inning game,” Smith said. “(Hiler) pitched a really good game as well and he played great defense, too. We had a couple of swinging bunts that he made nice plays on.

“And I thought their catcher, (Austin) Estridge, did a very nice job back there. He kept everything in front of him.”

Jensen also thought both pitchers were very good.

“Isaac Hiler, what a game he pitched,” Jensen said. “Wynford is a really good team, one of the top teams in our league. And they have some really great players, especially at the top of their order.

“Isaac pitched really well, and Spencer pitched really well for them.”

The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the first on a walk, an error, and a Johnson two-run single. Johnson finished with three RBI.

It stayed that way until the fifth, when the Bucks responded.

With two outs, Tye Craft, Hunter Caudill, Heath Jensen, and Hiler slapped four-straight singles, giving the Bucks a 3-2 lead.

“There were timely hits for both teams,” Jensen said. “But I’m proud of our kids. We didn’t quite get it done, we made some mistakes; had a few errors, but we proved to ourselves that we can compete with the best teams in our league.”

Box score

Wynford 4, Buckeye Central 3 

Buckeye Central    000 030 0       3        5        3

Wynford                  200 020 X      4        4        2

WP: Spencer Miller (6 SO, 0 W)

LP: Isaac Hiler (5 SO, 6 W)

HR: None.

Triples: None.

Doubles: (W) Collin Hulsmeyer.

Multiple hits: (W) Drew Johnson.

Records: Buckeye Central 3-1, 2-1 N10; Wynford 2-3, 1-2 N10.

Next: Buckeye Central at Mansfield Christian, Thursday; Plymouth at Wynford, Friday.