LAPEL — The arm was firing with nearly every pitch on target, and the results showed as Lapel High School pitcher Connor Gill tossed a complete-game shutout against rival Frankton High School en route to a dominating 14-0 win Friday, April 20.
Gill didn’t allow a single run to cross the plate in the showdown between the two schools.
It was a tight game for a while, where pitching was prime, but the Lapel bats woke up in the sixth and unloaded. The Bulldogs secured the victory thanks to an explosive nine runs in the inning.
Gill, Cameron Holycross, Colton Shirley, Levi Frazier, Ryne Wheeler and Justin Engle powered the big inning with RBI.
One bright spot for Frankton was a single by Noah VanSlyke in the second inning; other than that and a couple of other hits, Gill was in control.
Gill toed the rubber for the Bulldogs and surrendered zero runs on three hits across six innings while striking out seven.
Travis McGuire led things off on the hill for Frankton. He went five innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits and striking out two. Brock Threet and VanSlyke entered the game from the bullpen, throwing two-thirds of an inning and one-third of an inning, respectively.
Lapel had eight hits in the game. Satchell Wilson and Frazier each managed multiple hits for the Bulldogs. Frazier and Wilson each collected two hits to lead the team.
The Bulldogs didn’t commit a single error in the field.
On April 19, Cameron Holycross drove in five on three hits to seal another Bulldog win. This one came against Tri High School by a margin of 16-1.
Holycross produced scores on a home run in the first, a single in the second and a walk in the third.
Lapel got its offense started in the first when Holycross homered on the first pitch of the at bat with a three-run shot.
Lapel then notched five runs in the third inning, led by Holycross, Colton Shirley, Ryne Wheeler, and Levi Frazier, all of whom drove in runs.
Devan Frank led things off on the hill for Lapel, going five innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out nine.
Frank also collected three hits, while in the field the Bulldogs didn’t commit a single error, gobbling up everything coming their way.
PENDLETON HEIGHTS
A tough week for the Pendleton Heights baseball team ended on a high note Friday, April 20, after a victory in a doubleheader against Hoosier Heritage Conference foe Shelbyville marked its first win since the Madison County Tournament.
After a difficult 3-0 loss against Shelbyville in the first game of the doubleheader, Pendleton Heights came roaring back in the second game with an excellent challenge that resulted in an extra-innings victory.
The first inning seemed like it would be another Shelbyville win, with the Golden Bears scoring four runs in the first inning.
Never giving up, Pendleton Heights grabbed a run in the third to give the team some positive momentum.
A scoreless fourth inning led to the turning point in the game for the Arabians. In the fifth, they scored five runs, giving them a 6-5 lead. Shelbyville scored one to even the score shortly after.
Each team then scored one run each in the sixth, keeping it tied (7-7).
Both teams were scoreless in the seventh, but Pendleton Heights would take the lead in the eighth inning, and sophomore relief pitcher Luke Hargrave, would finally score a victory, ending a difficult week for Pendleton Heights on a high note.
Extra-innings games against Hamilton Southeastern and New Castle earlier in the week resulted in losses, 6-5 and 2-1, respectively.
Pendleton Heights baseball was scheduled to play Hamilton Heights at 5:30 p.m. today, Thursday, April 26, at home. The Arabians were set for a doubleheader with the Mt. Vernon Marauders, at home Friday, April 27 (5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.), and were scheduled to play Westfield at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at home.
Writer Rob Peeters contributed to this story.