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PICKERINGTON — Lancaster senior first baseman Kam Griffith gave the Golden Gales a huge boost by hitting a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the first inning against rival Pickerington Central on Friday, April 10.
After losing a heartbreaker at Central a year ago, the pressure was there, but Griffith’s laser shot allowed the Gales to take a deep breath and relax. Each time the Tigers seemed to be gaining momentum, Lancaster always had an answer, and it was enough for the Gales to pull out a hard-fought 6-5 Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division victory.
Lancaster improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the OCC.
More: Lancaster baseball coach Corey Conn sets program all-time wins record
Junior pitcher Brody Broeckel gave the Gales a huge start on the mound as he went the distance, and Lancaster’s defense was outstanding the entire game, especially junior centerfielder Jack Pompey, who ran down several balls in the outfield.
“It’s always hard to win on the road, and anytime you can get an OCC win on the road, it’s huge because you know you are going to have to earn it,” Lancaster coach Corey Conn said. “I’m just proud of these guys. We had a lot of big moments throughout the game, and if a couple of them don’t go our way, it might have been a different outcome. It was nice to see us execute when we had to.”
While the Gales are unbeaten, Broeckel said the key has been staying even-keeled.
“We lost a tough game against them last year, and it didn’t go the way we wanted, but for us, I think we do a great job of resetting every day and not getting too high or too low,” Broeckel said.
Broeckel, who scattered eight hits, had one strikeout and one walk, said his job is much easier because of the defense he has behind him.
“My job is to throw strikes. I’m not going to wow you with speed, but I can throw strikes, and that works,” Broeckel said. “We have an unbelievable defense, and they were making plays all over the field. You go out there with so much more confidence when the other team hits it, because you know your guys are going to make the play. When we got the early lead, it was a relief. You have that lead in your back pocket to lean on, and then you can go out and pitch more freely.”
In the seventh inning, Conn never wavered in his belief in Broeckel and let him finish the game out.
“Brody was phenomenal,” Conn said. “You have a decision whether to leave him in or take him out in the seventh, but they weren’t squaring a lot of balls up. I didn’t feel like they were hitting him hard, and he still had everything working for him. He is such a competitor, so you let him ride it out.”
After taking the 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Gales pushed two more runs across in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Coleson Ross was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Levi Greiner followed with a single. After a strikeout, Griffith walked to load the bases. Ross scored on a balk, and Greiner scored on a wild pitch.
The Tigers cut the deficit in half by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. The Gales added a run in the fifth inning, when Greiner just missed hitting a home run and ended up on second with a double. With two outs in the inning, Carson Miller hit a double to score Greiner.
Pickerington Central responded again by plating two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the margin to 5-4. Lancaster scored what would prove to be the winning run in the top of the sixth inning by executing. Broeckel was hit by a pitch, stole second, and went to third on a groundout. No. 9 hitter, Pompey, then laid down a perfect bunt to allow Broeckel to scamper home easily.
That run turned out to be huge because the Tigers led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double, a sacrifice fly moved the runner to third, and a ground out allowed him to score, cutting the margin to one. Broeckel was able to close the door by getting a groundout.
Greiner finished with two hits and scored two runs, and Brayden Montgomery also had two hits.
Lancaster returns to OCC action at home against Logan on April 13.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster baseball defeats Pickerington Central to improve to 7-0
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After losing a heartbreaker at Central a year ago, the pressure was there, but Griffith’s laser shot allowed the Gales to take a deep breath and relax. Each time the Tigers seemed to be gaining momentum, Lancaster always had an answer, and it was enough for the Gales to pull out a hard-fought 6-5 Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division victory.
Lancaster improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the OCC.
More: Lancaster baseball coach Corey Conn sets program all-time wins record
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Junior pitcher Brody Broeckel gave the Gales a huge start on the mound as he went the distance, and Lancaster’s defense was outstanding the entire game, especially junior centerfielder Jack Pompey, who ran down several balls in the outfield.
“It’s always hard to win on the road, and anytime you can get an OCC win on the road, it’s huge because you know you are going to have to earn it,” Lancaster coach Corey Conn said. “I’m just proud of these guys. We had a lot of big moments throughout the game, and if a couple of them don’t go our way, it might have been a different outcome. It was nice to see us execute when we had to.”
While the Gales are unbeaten, Broeckel said the key has been staying even-keeled.
“We lost a tough game against them last year, and it didn’t go the way we wanted, but for us, I think we do a great job of resetting every day and not getting too high or too low,” Broeckel said.
Broeckel, who scattered eight hits, had one strikeout and one walk, said his job is much easier because of the defense he has behind him.
“My job is to throw strikes. I’m not going to wow you with speed, but I can throw strikes, and that works,” Broeckel said. “We have an unbelievable defense, and they were making plays all over the field. You go out there with so much more confidence when the other team hits it, because you know your guys are going to make the play. When we got the early lead, it was a relief. You have that lead in your back pocket to lean on, and then you can go out and pitch more freely.”
You must be registered for see images attach
In the seventh inning, Conn never wavered in his belief in Broeckel and let him finish the game out.
“Brody was phenomenal,” Conn said. “You have a decision whether to leave him in or take him out in the seventh, but they weren’t squaring a lot of balls up. I didn’t feel like they were hitting him hard, and he still had everything working for him. He is such a competitor, so you let him ride it out.”
After taking the 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Gales pushed two more runs across in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Coleson Ross was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Levi Greiner followed with a single. After a strikeout, Griffith walked to load the bases. Ross scored on a balk, and Greiner scored on a wild pitch.
The Tigers cut the deficit in half by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. The Gales added a run in the fifth inning, when Greiner just missed hitting a home run and ended up on second with a double. With two outs in the inning, Carson Miller hit a double to score Greiner.
Pickerington Central responded again by plating two runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the margin to 5-4. Lancaster scored what would prove to be the winning run in the top of the sixth inning by executing. Broeckel was hit by a pitch, stole second, and went to third on a groundout. No. 9 hitter, Pompey, then laid down a perfect bunt to allow Broeckel to scamper home easily.
That run turned out to be huge because the Tigers led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double, a sacrifice fly moved the runner to third, and a ground out allowed him to score, cutting the margin to one. Broeckel was able to close the door by getting a groundout.
Greiner finished with two hits and scored two runs, and Brayden Montgomery also had two hits.
Lancaster returns to OCC action at home against Logan on April 13.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster baseball defeats Pickerington Central to improve to 7-0
Continue reading...
