Whippets looking to rebound from tough baseball weekend
Shelby boys baseball suffered a pair of losses Saturday.
Completing a game that was suspended on Wednesday due to darkness, the Whippets lost to Highland 5-4 in 10 innings.
The Mid-ohio Athletic Conference contest resumed at Highland with the score tied 3-3 after eight innings of play.
Neither team scored in the ninth inning, but Shelby scored a run in the top of the 10th. Karsen Homan lined a single to left field with two outs. Pinch runner Brady Bowman then stole second and third before Maverick Noel lined a two-strike base hit by shortstop to give Shelby a 4-3 lead.
Highland rallied for two runs in the bottom of the tenth for the victory. Zach Church lined a base hit to start the bottom of the 10th. After a strikeout, Brooks and Wigand both singled to load the bases with one out. After a fielder’s choice scored a run, Hendrick Karya lined a single to center field to knock in the winning run.
Nic Eyster took the loss for the Whippets, pitching the final 1.1 innings of relief, giving up two runs, six hits and striking out two.
Homan started the game (Wednesday), pitching seven innings, allowing two runs, four hits and striking out six. Travis Slone pitched an inning of relief (Wednesday), giving up a run, waking three and striking out one.
Noel led the Whippets with three hits and three RBIS. Quinton Albert and
Homan both smacked two hits. Issiah Beck hit a double.
Shelby coach Jon Amicone spoke about the tough loss.
“Loved how hard the guys played in the two innings against Highland. Unfortunately, the ending didn’t go our way, but I thought that was two really competitive teams going at each other and playing the game the right way,” Amicone said.
Bishop Hartley
The Whippets then played Columbus Bishop Hartley in Highland, losing 14-8.
Hartley jumped out to an early 6-0 off starter, Casey Lantz. Lantz, pitching his first game two years, suffered the loss, giving up six runs, six hits, four walks and two strikeouts in two innings.
The Whippets cut the lead in half, scoring two runs in the second and a run in the third to make the score 6-3.
But Hartley scored eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings to blow the game open. The Hawks scored two runs in the fifth and six more times in the top of the sixth to make the score 14-3.
Shelby did rally for three runs in the sixth and two in the bottom of the seventh.
Kaleb Stairs relieved Lantz, allowing seven runs (six earned), eight hits and striking out three. Canden Dorsey pitched the final 1.2 innings, giving up an unearned run, a hit, a walk and striking out one.
Alex Bruskotter led the Whippets with three singles, Bruskotter also had an RBI. Wil Magers smacked two hits, including a double. Dorsey also belted a double and an RBI. Eyster, Beck, Homan and Slone all had base hits. Eyster had two RBIS, Beck had one.
Amicone spoke about the second game.
“We wanted to get some new guys some opportunities in the field and at the plate,” he said.
“Ultimately, we didn’t play well enough to win,” Amicone said. “We got away from who we want to be as a team, we played sloppy defense and the communication wasn’t good. We need to learn from today and be ready starting Monday. I think this is a good team who is just scratching the surface of its potential.”
The Whippets, now 4-2, 1-1 on the season, host Lexington Monday. They play a pair of conference games against River Valley, traveling to River Valley on Tuesday, then hosting the Vikings on Wednesday.