FAIRBORN, Ohio – Lakeland baseball had plenty of run support, getting 22 runs to sweep Clark State Community College by the scores of 12-2 and 10-5 to open Ohio Community College Athletic Conference play Friday afternoon at Wright State University.
With the pair of victories, the Lakers improve to 5-8 overall and 2-0 in OCCAC play.
Lakeland 12 – Clark State 2
Lakeland jumped all over Clark State early on with 10 runs in the first three innings to open up the doubleheader with a 12-2 victory in five innings.
Matt Detering only had two official at bats but he made them count as he hit a home run and a triple while bringing in three runs to lead the Lakers. Luis Padron and Jack Shepherd each had a single and a double while the pair combined to bring in three runs. Alex Newsome had two RBIs while Walker Marlow, Austin Mora and Jacob Nagy each brought in one run.
Hudson Widrig (1-1) pitched all five innings for his first win of the season after allowing six hits and two earned runs while fanning seven batters.
Lakeland got off to a fast start in the first inning when Padron doubled to begin the game and Mora brought him in with a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game. Detering later added a three run home run in the inning for a 4-0 lead.
Newsome kept it going in the second inning with a walk and then he made his way to third on an error and a passed ball. Padron singled in Newsome for a 5-0 advantage.
Shepherd started out the third with a double and then came around to score on a passed ball for a 6-0 lead. Detering followed with a walk and Nagy reached on an error as both players came in to score for an 8-0 lead. France walked to get on base and later scored while Newsome singled in two runs in the inning and also came in to score on a single by Marlowe for a 10-0 lead.
Detering kept the offense rolling in the fourth with a lead-off triple and then was driven in by a sacrifice fly from Nagy for an 11-0 lead. Clark State did get on the board with a single run in the bottom of the inning to get within 11-1.
Marlowe tacked on one more run when he led off the fifth with a triple and came in to score for a 12-1 lead. Clark State added a harmless run in the bottom of the fifth but the Lakers still held on to beat Clark State 12-2 in five innings.
Lakeland 10 – Clark State 5
The second game didn't come as easily for Lakeland as the Lakers trailed 5-4 after four innings but then finished off the game with six unanswered to earn a 10-5 victory to finish off the sweep.
Marlow went 2-for-2 in the second game with a triple and a single while bringing in three runs in the win. Padron and Mora each had three runs and brought in a pair of runs while Shepherd only needed one hit to have two RBIs. Gino Bertolone also had a single and an RBI.
Anthony Ward (1-2) got the start and win by going four innings and allowing two earned runs with a strikeout. Andy Gorby came on to pitch the final three scoreless innings to earn a save while striking out three.
It took a couple of innings but Lakeland got going in the third inning as Marlowe started off with a walk and then scored the first run of the game. Padron followed with a single and later scored for a 2-0 lead. Mora added a double in the inning and scored for a 3-0 lead. Clark State did answer with one run in the bottom half to get within 3-1.
Marlowe again started everything in the fourth inning, this time with a two-out single. After Marlowe stole second, Padron tripled in Marlowe for a 4-1 lead. That lead disappeared with four runs in the bottom of the inning as Clark State grabbed a 5-4 lead.
Lakeland didn't trail long as the Lakers went to work in the fifth when Shepherd reached on an error and then came in to score to tie the game at 5-5. Marlowe gave the Lakers an 8-5 lead with a three-run triple to put Lakeland on top for good.
Lakeland went after a couple insurance runs in the seventh and it started when Marlowe drew a two-out walk and was able to score the ninth runs. Padron followed with a double and eventually came in to score for a 10-5 lead that would hold up until the final out.
Lakeland will play its first home game of the season on Tuesday, April 3 against Notre Dame College JV at 2 p.m.
For more information about Lakeland athletics, visit www.athletics.lakelandcc.edu.
About Lakeland Community College
Founded in 1967, Lakeland Community College was the first college in Ohio created by a vote of the people. True to our mission, Lakeland provides quality learning opportunities to meet the social and economic needs of the community.
Offering day, evening, weekend and online classes, the college serves more than 10,800 credit and 2,800 noncredit students (2016). For more information about the College, visit www.lakelandcc.edu.