CASSTOWN – Miami East found themselves down 2-0 in the top of the first inning against Lehman Catholic on Thursday, but all it took was one big hit for the Vikings to get rolling.
And that hit came in the bottom of the second as Austin Francis drilled a line shot to the center field fence. The senior speedster was able to round the bases and strolled across the plate uncontested for an inside the park home run.
And by the end of the inning the Vikings claimed a 5-2 lead and then put the game out of reach with nine runs in the bottom of the third for a 14-2 lead.
From there it was a matter of holding Lehman in check, which Miami East was able to do thanks to the solid pitching of Gage Butz and the defense behind him. Butz went the distance with nine strikeouts and allowing just three hits in the five inning run rule victory.
Offensively, Francis drove in five runs on two hits, one being the home run to ignite the offensive onslaught. Jonah Blauvelt doubled twice in the contest and scored three runs, while driving in three more runs on his two hits. Connor Apple and Nathan Wooley also had two hits each, while Luke Hammaker connected on a single.
The win boosts Miami East’s record to 2-1 on the young season and 2-0 in the TRC.
| VIEW GAME PHOTOS |
SCORE BY INNINGS:
Lehman – 2 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 = 2 – 4 – 7
Miami East – 1 – 4 – 9 – 0 – X = 14 – 9 – 2
