The Crest High School Lancers remain the team to beat in the region after sweeping the Northeast Vikings 14-3 and 15-5 Monday.
While Crest’s offense seemed the difference maker Monday, its pitchers tallied nearly 20 strikeouts over both contests.
Junior pitcher Drake Weir flashed his talent on the mound and in the batter’s box with 12 strikeouts over six innings in the opener while hitting 2 of 4. His only RBI of the opener came in the opening frame with an RBI double driving in freshman shortstop Kole Walter. Walter later spelled Weir in the final inning while racking up a pair of strikeouts. Sophomore third baseman Roy Gordon extended Crest’s lead to 2-0 in the second after scoring on a wild pitch, but the Lancers were just warming up.
Walter’s two-run line-drive double followed by senior first baseman Kade Nilges’s home run in the next at-bat made it 3-0. In the fourth, a base-clearing triple by junior centerfielder Henry White gave the Lancers a 6-0 lead. Northeast added three runs in the sixth, but the outburst was nowhere near enough to get back into contention.
White ended the day with a team-leading four RBIs, followed by Gordon with three while hitting in 3 of 4 appearances.
Gordon had a solid game in the batter’s box with a pair of RBIs in the finale, while Nilges went a perfect 4 of 4 with a team-leading 5 RBIs to lead the Lancers to a 15-5 victory. Nilges picked up his first RBI in his first appearance with a double, followed by an RBI single from junior catcher Jensen Barker, then a Gordon homer to put the Vikings out of contention early.
In the second inning, Nilges picked up another pair of RBIs after his single drove in Walter and White. The 6-0 lead made the day a little easier for Crest’s pitchers. Nilges, Gordon and Parker split time while racking up a combined four strikeouts over five innings and allowing three earned runs.
With the win, Crest remains undefeated at 6-0. The Lancers look to keep their unbeaten streak alive Thursday when they host Yates Center. The games are slated for a 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
