Shelby Whippets defeat Lexington in baseball thriller
Seventh inning heroics again led Shelby boys baseball to a 7-6 victory over Lexington on Monday evening in a nonconference game at Shelby Whippets athletic complex.
Maverick Noel broke a 6-6 tie with a one-out, line drive single past a diving shortstop to score pinch runner, Issaiah Ramsey and send the Whippets home with a victory.
Quinton Albert led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. After a strikeout, Karsen Homan lined a single to left field, moving Ramsey to second.
On the next pitch, Noel smacked a sharp single past shortstop, and Ramsey easily beat the throw home.
“Maverick has been playing his tail off for us, he’s a competitor and he doesn’t shy away from the spotlight,” Shelby coach Jon Amicone said. “He got the big hit when the team needed it and played the hero tonight.”
The Whippets jumped out to an early 3-0 after two innings, scoring a run in the first off a sacrifice fly by Albert that scored Nic Eyster, who singled to lead off the first, moved to second on an Alex Bruskotter single and then stole third base.
Shelby scored two more in the second without the benefit of a hit. Noel, Tanner Hartz, Canden Dorsey and Bruskotter all walked to score a run. Eli Schwemley was then hit by a pitch that scored Hartz and made the score 3-0.
Lexington responded with three in the top of the third by taking advantage of Shelby miscues.
After two strikeouts, Togliatti walked and stole second. Jaxon Brown then hit a single to right field and Togliatti scored on the play after the ball was dropped at the play at home.
After Braden Mumaw was walked, a dropped line drive in the outfield allowed two more runs to score and tie the game.
Shelby quickly responded, scoring a run in the bottom of the third. Issiah Beck drove a double down the left field line.
Homan hit a single to left field that moved Beck to third.noel got an RBI with a sacrifice to center field to break the tie and give Shelby a 4-3 lead.
Shelby scored two more runs in the fourth. Canden Dorsey hit a line drive up the middle, Eyster singled on a ground ball to shortstop and both runners advanced a base on a throwing error.
Bruskotter got an RBI in a groundout, and Eyster scored on a base hit by Albert to make it 6-3.
Lexington then scored two runs in the sixth with only one hit. Two walks, a hit batter, a sacrifice fly and a base hit and the score was 6-5 going into the seventh.
Lexington tied it up in the seventh, and again walks led the Minutemen run.
After a strikeout, two Lexington batters walked. Shelby recorded the second out on runner interference, but another walk then a base hit and the game was tied at six. Lexington grounded out to end the top of the seventh.
Coach Amicone was proud of his teams’ resiliency.
“Our motto is ‘Shelby doesn’t beat Shelby’ and we almost did that tonight,” he said.
“We gave away 11 free bases and had a big error that really put our team in a horrible situation,” Amicone said.
“Ultimately I’m proud of our guys for getting a win against a good Lexington team. The fact we were able to win speaks volumes about the guys we have on our team,” Amicone said. “It felt like the whole game we were fighting an uphill battle, but the guys found ways to be efficient and score enough runs to win.”
Travis Slone started the game for Shelby, throwing 3.1 innings, scattering five hits, three runs (one earned), walking five and fanning five.
Noel pitched two innings, two runs, two walks and
striking out two. Dorsey got two outs without allowing a run. Eyster got the win, pitching the seventh, allowing a run on one hit, three walks and a strikeout.
Eyster, Bruskotter and Homan each had two hits apiece, Bruskotter also had two RBIS. Beck added a double. Schwemley, Albert, Noel and Dorsey all had base hits. Albert and Noel both had two RBIS, Schwemley knocked in one run.
Shelby improves to 5-2 on the season. The Whippets traveled to River Valley on Tuesday and then host the Vikings Wednesday in a pair of Mid-ohio Athletic Conference games. Then travel to Marion Harding on Friday for a another MOAC contest