HUMBOLDT — In a season largely devoid of drama, Crest High baseball coach Roland Weir had one concern about his Lancers as the postseason arrived. How well would they handle any type of adversity?
Quite nicely, apparently.
The Lancers didn’t blink Friday after falling behind early in their Class 2-1A Regional Championship against Southern Lyon County.
The Lancers then erupted for four runs in each the fifth and sixth innings to pull away for a 12-4 victory, cinching the team’s first ever trip to the state baseball tournament.
Mind you, Crest baseball has only been in existence since 2018, and the Lancers’ 2020 season was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a testament to the kids and their dedication,” Weir said. “We have a good group of kids, especially our seniors who have been through the turmoil of the first couple of years. I’m happy for the kids, happy for the town.”
As has been the case all season, Crest received key contributions from players young and old. Sophomore Avery Blaufuss broke a 4-4 deadlock with a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth after a pair of walks and a Southern Lyon County error.
Two more fielding errors plated two more insurance runs, and suddenly the Lancers, who trailed 1-0 and 4-2 earlier in the game, were well in control.
Senior Tyson Hermreck, one of the original Lancers, singled to start the sixth. He scored on a double from Holden Barker before Stratton McGhee tripled to score two more. An error off Blaufuss’s bat capped the scoring.
“I was always worried about how this group would respond if they had some adversity,” Weir said. “But I knew we were hitting the ball, putting it in play. I knew it was a matter of time before we would break through, and it was.”
Sophomore pitching ace Trevor Church was victimized by three fielding errors in the top of the second as Southern Lyon County took a 1-0 lead.
Barker was hit by a pitch in Crest’s half of the second, stole second and went to third and then home on wild pitches to tie the score. Blaufuss drew a walk, and courtesy runner Ryan Golden came around to score on Jack White’s RBI grounder to put the Lancers on top, 2-1.
A walk and single preceded a two-run scoring error in the third to put Southern Lyon County back on top. A double followed, and suddenly Crest trailed, 4-2.
“It started off kind of rough, here after I’d been bragging about our defense,” Weir chuckled. “But we never let the moment get too big for us. We kept putting the ball in play up and down the lineup. We kept answering back.”
Barker ripped an RBI double to close the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the third, and scored on McGhee’s RBI single to tie the score at 4-4.
