VERSAILLES – The Versailles baseball team began Ohio High School Athletic Association sectional tournament play with a 16-1 run rule victory against Dixie on Wednesday.

Dixie scored the game’s first run in the top half of the first inning then Versailles scored 16 unanswered runs with three in the first, three in the second, three in the third and seven in the fourth.

Versailles had 13 hits and no errors while Dixie had two hits and one error.

Cole Niekamp pitched the complete game for Versailles and allowed one earned run on two hits, no walks and nine strikeouts. After giving up two hits in the first inning, Niekamp was perfect the final four innings.

Offensively Kurtis Rutschilling was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, three runs and five RBIs. Niekamp was 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, two RBIs and a run. Keaton McEldowney was 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and four runs. Noah Richard was 1-for-2 with a home run, walked, was hit by a pitch, scored a run and drove in four runs.

Andrew Demange was 1-for-2, walked twice and scored three runs. Elliot Bruns was 1-for-2, walked twice, scored a run and drove in two runs. Will Eversole was 1-for-1, drove in a run and scored a run. Kyle Pothast was 1-for-3, walked and scored a run. Noah Grisez was 1-for-4 with a double and scored a run.

Versailles now advances to play Arcanum for a sectional championship at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Northmont.