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Lakers continue to win close games
JASONVILLE -- One word describes the Shakamak Laker baseball team of late -- drama. And it continued here Thursday night in a 5-4 win over visiting Vincennes Rivet.
After falling behind in the top of the first, they battled back to wrestle the lead away from the Patriots, then held on in the final frame for the win.
"We've had some close ones this week that's for sure," SHS coach Chip Sweet said. "I knew coming in that we played a lot of innings this week."
Starter Brodie Crowe labored through the first frame and to make matters worse a mishandled groundball left the door ajar for a pair of Rivet runs.
"I think his arm was bothering him a little bit and once he got loose and got back into the flow of the game I think he did get better," Sweet said. "It took him a long time to get it stretched out."
The Patriots added to the lead in the third when Gavin Benock led off the frame with a homer to left.
Then Crowe settled in and started to take control of the game. When his stint on the mound was over in the sixth, he was credited with four strikeouts and just one walk while scattering three hits.
After Benock's blast, Crowe retired eight of the next 10 Patriot hitters and benefited from an uprising in the home half of the third.
The game-tying outburst came courtesy a leadoff walk to Braxton Yeryar from Patriot starter Chris Allen and a pair of singles by Brock Dowell and Patrick Green.
"He threw the ball well, there's no doubt about it," Sweet said of Allen. "We've been struggling offensively and he throws the ball decent and we were able to manufacture a couple of runs."
With two outs Brett Yeryar drove home the first two markers with a hard, bases-loaded single into right centerfield. Luke Sweet followed with a single to left center that knotted the score.
Shakamak snapped the deadlock in the fourth when a pair of Rivet errors left the door ajar for a two-run single from Crowe.
"They gave us a couple of runs like we did them in the first," Sweet said. "It was just enough to hang on."
That's when the drama really started to unfold.
Crowe lasted on the hill until the sixth when he was spelled by Brett Yeryar who immediately served up a home run ball to Brady Mouzin.
But Yeryar shook off any ill-effects from the blast and retired the next three hitters in succession.
The sophomore righthander went an inning and a third allowing the one run on two hits with a pair of strikeouts.
His efforts didn't end the drama, in fact it only set the stage for more in the seventh.
That's when he issued a leadoff single to Collin Wirth before striking out Peyton Cummings and inducing a bouncer back to the mound off the bat of Jared Thomas.
He reached safely when Wirth was erased at second and put the go-ahead run at first.
"Brett threw down there last year and they just shelled him," Sweet said. "That plus I felt like Patrick was the best way to go.
"To be honest when I went out there I hadn't made up my mind. But it probably paid dividends, who's to say, Brett could have very well gotten the last out, you never know."
Coach Sweet then shifted the drama to the arm of Green who allowed a single to Benock, a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to advance to third and a deep flyball that fell just short of the leftfield fence and settled into the glove of Braden Cox to end the contest.
"When you start playing several games in a week and you have to try and save pitchers -- not hurt anybody's arm -- it can get interesting," Sweet said.
Crowe picked up the win while Green collected the save.
Shakamak came into the game looking for their eighth win of the year behind only one loss. Intentionally or not, they increased their current string of single-run victories to three while on the downside they saw their string of three consecutive shutouts come to an abrupt end.
Prior to Thursday's game they defeated Northview 4-0, North Central and Terre Haute South 1-0.
They had held their opponents scoreless in their last 26 innings.
Next up is Sullivan on Saturday at Jasonville. The day gets underway at 10 a.m.
Vincennes Rivet 201 001 0 -- 4 6 2
Shakamak 003 200 x -- 5 6 2
Allen and Benock; Crowe, Br. Yeryar (6), Green (7) and Collins. W -- Crowe, L -- Allen, Sv -- Green. 2B -- Allen (VR), Green (S). HR -- Benock (VR), Mouzin (VR).