ASHVILLE – It’s early in the season, but the Lancaster baseball team is starting to find a groove and mapping out a blueprint of what it takes to win.
On Monday, the visiting Golden Gales started fast, plating four runs in the top of the first inning against Teays Valley to set the tone. They took full advantage of any mistake the Vikings made, and the Gales received outstanding starting pitching from senior Darren Ramsey. Junior Kam Griffith came on in relief and was just as dominant.
It all added up to a 9-0 Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division victory, and in the process, Lancaster improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the league. The Gales have outscored their first four opponents 39-2, and it was their third consecutive shutout.
“We want to come out and start fast and being on the road, we get to hit first, and we wanted to jump on them as quick as we could,” Lancaster coach Corey Conn said. “We were able to execute some things in the first inning and were able to send nine guys to the plate, and that’s huge because it takes a little pressure off.”
“Their (pitcher) was struggling a little bit and we were able to capitalize on that. Defensively, we made plays, and Darren had a strong start on the mound. We were able to build off that momentum in the first and just kept it going.”
Lancaster finished with nine hits. Zach Mowder, Griffith, Coleson Ross and Carson Miller had two hits each, with Griffith adding two RBIs. Levi Greiner and Brayden Montgomery chipped in one RBI each, and Brody Broeckel had the other hit.
Whenever the Vikings made a misstep, the Gales made them pay. In the four-run first inning, the Gales scored their four runs on four hits, two walks, and a sacrifice bunt. In the second inning, the Gales scored two more runs on an infield hit, a sacrifice bunt, a stolen base and scored the runs on two wild pitches.
Lancaster added a run in the third inning and did it without a hit. After Montgomery reached on a dropped third strike, he stole second and scored on two wild pitches to push the score to 7-0.
On the mound, Ramsey was outstanding. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning. At one point, in the third and fourth innings, he struck out six batters, sandwiched by a walk. In the fourth inning, he left runners stranded on first and second, and in the fifth, he worked out of a bases-loaded jam. He pitched five scoreless ...
