WLB Boys Baseball take a hard fought win over Midwest Central

[September 08, 2017]  West Lincoln- Broadwell versus Midwest Central boys baseball results

Pitching:

Scotty Battin; WP; 4 IP; 2 K; 1 BB; 10 H; 6 R; 6 ER
Sam Gleason; S; 3 IP; 0 K; 1 BB; 1 H; 1 R; 1 ER

Hitting:

Trey Schilling; 3 doubles; 2 Runs; BB
Lucas Jones; 2 singles; Run; 2 RBI
Drew Eimer; 2 singles; 2 RBI
Daulton Miller; single; double; 2 Runs; RBI
Jacob Langley; double; Run; BB; 2 RBI
Scotty Battin; single; Run; BB
Sam Gleason; single; HBP; RBI
Michael Lucas; single
Cam Nelson; SAC

The WLB boys baseball team traveled to Green Valley to take on Midwest Central and came away with a hard fought 8-7 win. In a game that featured a lot of strikes by pitchers on both sides and some very good defense, the Wolverines were able to scratch across one more run than Midwest Central to improve to 9-5 on the year.

WLB jumped on the scoreboard early on a leadoff single and stolen base by Lucas Jones. After the next two batters were retired, Daulton Miller kept the inning alive with a 2-out single and advanced to 2nd base on a missed cut-off putting runners on 2nd and 3rd. Jacob Langley followed with a 2-run double, Sam Gleason slapped an RBI single, and Drew Eimer scored Gleason to end the 4-run 1st.

Starting and winning pitcher Scotty Battin threw a scoreless 1st and 2nd inning while WLB added one run in their half of the 2nd inning to take an early 5-0 lead. Trey Schilling drew a walk to lead off the 2nd inning, stole 2nd base, and advanced to 3rd base on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Camden Nelson. Jones pulled a fast ball to the right side to score Schilling.

After retiring the Wolverines in order in the top of the 3rd, Midwest Central got their bats going putting 3 runs on the board on a 3-run inside-the-park home run to left field. WLB answered in the 4th with another run as Schilling led off with a double, advanced to 3rd on a ground out by Nelson, and eventually scoring on a Jones ground ball giving the visitors a 6-3 lead.

Midwest Central tied it up in their half of the 4th inning scoring 3 runs on 4 hits. But the Wolverine offense kept the pressure on as they again answered with 2 more runs of their own in the 5th to take the lead for good. Battin singled, Miller doubled him home and later scored on an RBI single by Eimer.

Relief pitcher Sam Gleason took the mound to start the 5th inning and held the Raiders at bay with 3 strong innings to earn the save. With a slim 1-run lead heading into the final frame, Gleason sat down the Raider 4-5-6 hitters in order to close out the win.

"I thought we played the most well-rounded game of the season tonight," commented head coach Jeff Nelson. "We hit the ball with some authority, made all of the routine plays defensively, and most importantly threw strikes on the mound. The game is much more enjoyable and moves faster when our pitchers pump the strike zone. I like our defense, so when it's hit I think we have a good chance to field it. Walks are impossible to defend. I think after a little bit of a lull, we're starting to put a few things together, which at this time of the year is encouraging."

WLB will finish up the regular season on the road at Stephen Decatur for a 10:00am start. This will be the first time these two teams have played each other.

Regional seedings will be completed Thursday evening and oppenents and game times will be determined on Friday morning. Chester East Lincoln hosts the Regional Tournament. However, the first games will be played on Tuesday, September 12th at the higher seeded team's home field. The #1 and #2 seeded teams will earn a bye and will not play on Tuesday.

Record: 9-5

[Jeff Nelson]