LOUISVILLE — Lake Center Christian, which has been one of the state’s top baseball teams (all divisions combined) over the past four seasons, continued its torrid run through the postseason.
The Tigers were 9-6 winners over stubborn LaBrae in a Division VI regional semifinal at Louisville’s sun-splashed Field of Dreams on Wednesday, June 3.
“I’m super proud of our guys for playing exactly how we want to play the game and just not getting rattled when they (the Vikings) started battling,” said Lake Center Christian head coach Shane Byler.
The defending Division VI state runner-up Tigers are 98-19-1 in the past four years, including four straight trips to the regional. They also added to an incredible statistic in their latest triumph. In four postseason wins, they have outscored their tourney foes, 48-6, including three shutouts prior to Wednesday’s game.
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“It goes back to just the experience of these guys,” Byler said. “They’ve been there and done that, and not only in the past, but this year. We have played a brutal schedule and they’ve taken on a ton of challenges. Seven teams we’ve played have made it to regionals, so we’re battle-tested and we’re ready for anything.”
“We knew when we drew these guys that it was going to be a tough one,” said LaBrae head coach Ed Anthony of Lake Center’s powerful pitching and hitting lineup. “I honestly think we’ve seen and scouted this team and I think that’s the big dog in this district.”
Lake Center Christian’s Caleb Shelly set the table when he sent a 3-2 pitch deep over the right field fence, giving the Tigers a 2-0 first-inning lead, and they never trailed.
“I think it (the home run) really just set the tone for the whole game, who we were bringing in, and just the energy throughout the game,” stated Shelly.
Shelly, a junior right-hander, was also the winning pitcher. He worked five innings while striking out six and walking three. Ohio State commit Nathan Bryant worked a scoreless sixth, striking out one and walking none, while left-hander Grant Coblentz worked a scoreless seventh, striking out two and walking none.
After allowing a LaBrae run in the bottom of the second, the Tigers answered by adding three runs in the third and two runs in each of the fourth and fifth frames to take as much as a 9-1 lead. The big blows during the run included a two-run double and RBI single by Colton Smilek, and RBI singles by Nathan Bryant, Brayden Myers and Paul Dussel.
The Tigers out-hit the Vikings, 13-4. Leading the Lake Center offense were Shelly (two-run home run), Bryant (three singles and an RBI), Smilek (two singles, a double and three RBIs), Myers (single, double, RBI), Dussel (single, RBI), Grant Coblentz (single), Luke Heckert (single) and Aaron Zietlow (single).
Sixth-seeded LaBrae (20-6) rallied back with a five-run fifth inning with the big blow coming on a two-run double by Easton Armstrong, closing the gap to 9-6.
But Lake Center’s Bryant and Coblentz held the Vikings scoreless and hitless over the final two innings in relief to secure the win.
“The bottom line is we’re playing at the regional level and teams are going to battle and we didn’t expect it to be a cakewalk, but our guys played good, didn’t get rattled and stayed on it and got the victory,” said Byler. “A lot of credit to them (the Vikings) for not just giving in and staying on it,” added the Tigers’ mentor.
“I’m proud of them for battling,” said LaBrae’s Anthony.
The win sends the Tigers (22-4-1), ranked fourth in the final Ohio Baseball Coaches poll, into Thursday’s regional final against Chippewa at 5 p.m. in Louisville.
“We don’t take anything for granted,” said Byler. “And honestly, we have a ton of fun playing baseball. It’s part of our identity, so it doesn’t matter what it is, we’re up for it, we’re excited and we’re giving it everything we have.”
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: OHSAA tournament dominance continues for Lake Center Christian baseball
Reporting by Mike Brown, Correspondent / The Repository
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By Mike Brown, Correspondent | USA TODAY Network
