COLONY — The Crest Lancers enter the postseason red hot as winners in six of their last seven games, including a pair of mercy-rule victories, 11-1 and 16-0, over Three Rivers League foe Erie Monday night.
Strong performances on the mound and in the batter’s box separated both contests as the Lancers cruised to victory ahead of Thursday’s regional tournament opener on the road against Remington.
Senior starter Jensen Barker and sophomore reliever Will Disbrow combined for eight strikeouts while holding the Red Devils to just one run in the opener. Barker tallied six strikeouts while holding Erie to one hit. After taking the mound in the fourth inning, Disbrow tallied a pair of strikeouts while earning the save.
A Barker RBI double put the Lancers on the scoreboard in the opening frame, after which the runs poured in. Freshman catcher Andrew Donovan picked up two of his team-leading three RBIs in the second inning after driving in a pair of runs with a single.
Following an RBI grounder from junior Lane Yocham, the Lancers capitalized on a slew of Erie pitching miscues to establish a 6-0 lead by the fourth inning. Another Donovan RBI single in the fifth inning, and an RBI grounder by senior outfielder Dalton Kersley, put Crest one run from the mercy rule. A Yocham RBI double secured it.
Lane Yocham, Crest junior, throws during a game against West Franklin earlier this season.
In the nightcap, a three-run homer by senior shortstop Henry White in the opening frame set the tone. A pair of Erie errors in the same inning gave Crest a 5-0 lead. The Lancers added 11 runs in the second inning to secure an early night.
A two-run homer by sophomore designated hitter Trewitt Luedke inched Crest closer to a mercy-rule, then sophomore second baseman Kole Walter gave the Lancers a double-digit lead with an RBI double. Senior first baseman Drake Weir added a run with an RBI rounder, but another slew of Erie mound miscues allowed Crest to score three more runs without touching the ball.
Weir picked up the win with only one strikeout over a single inning of work, allowing one hit. Yocham finished the contest with four strikeouts over two innings, allowing just two hits. White had a team-leading four RBIs while perfect in 2 of 2 at-bats, which tied Luedke for the team lead in hits. Luedke was also perfect in the batter’s box with three RBIs. Walter had a pair of runs driven in.
With the win, the Lancers finished the regular season 13-11 overall. If they are victorious over Remington (10-11) Thursday, they face the winner of Three Rivers League champion Central Heights (19-3) and Northern Heights (1-17) Tuesday. First pitch for Thursday’s game is at 5 p.m.
