Against Division I powerhouse St Ignatius (14th ranked in Ohio) winning pitcher Nick Hart threw 6 near flawless innings, allowing 1 run on just 2 hits while striking out 5. Riley Verderber slammed the door with a scoreless 7th inning, and Lakewood (Ranked 10th in Division II) emerged with a 4-1 road win. This one is special.

Riley led the offense with a triple, a booming Home Run to just left of center, and 2 RBI. Connor Sefchick had two hits and one RBI, while Cooper Russell knocked in the other run with a sacrifice fly. Drew Jones, Tyler Laidley (one hit) and Kenny Laidley each scored runs for the Rangers.

Defensively, the Rangers were nearly perfect, led by center fielder Luke Legato, who chased down several long drives in the alleys and made a diving catch to snuff out a potential Wildcat rally. Catcher Finn Schroeder was rock solid behind the plate, nailing two would-be base stealers that was key to keeping the Wildcat offense in check early.

“That was as good of a pitching performance I’ve seen considering the opponent” Coach Grant Graves, summing up Nick’s start and Riley’s close. St Ignatius has no easy outs, and has great plate discipline All 21 outs were earned. In 50 years of playing and watching Ranger baseball, I can think of few pitching performances than can match Nick’s mastery today. (Nick’s picture courtesy of Vince Frantz)

Lakewood (2-0) returns to action tomorrow at 5:00 pm, hosting Strongsville. The Mustangs are always tough, so this will be another challenge for the Rangers.

Lakewood Ranger Baseball is one team from one town, that fights hard from first pitch to last.

Long Live Lakewood!