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Lakota East senior Michael Conrad, who will continue his baseball career at UC, struck out 100 batters and had a 1.83 earned run average in 61.1 innings in 2012. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

For the second time this week, Moeller eliminated a Lakota high school from the postseason. On Thursday, Moeller defeated Lakota West by the score of 11-2 in the sectional finals. Then on Saturday, the Crusaders eliminated the defending Division I state champs in Lakota East by the score of 7-2 in the district finals.

Moeller jumped out to a 5-0 lead against the Thunderhawks Saturday, by scoring three runs in the first inning and two more in the second.

Senior Ryan LeFevers went 2-for-3 and scored two runs, while junior Spencer Iacavone went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. Sophomore Zack Shannon added a double, two RBIs, as Moeller improved to 22-5.

Lakota East finishes the season with a 16-14 overall record and a 10-8 mark within the Greater Miami Conference. Accomplishments this season include a sectional championship in the postseason, a seven-game winning streak in April and the setting of the school district career strikeout record by senior pitcher Michael Conrad.

The team, which has four seniors on its roster, will have two players competing at the Division I level in college in Conrad (University of Cincinnati) and Alex Corna (Ohio University).

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Corna, Alex Corna Lakota East, Alex Corna Ohio, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Sports, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad, Ohio high school baseball playoffs, ohio high school sectional baseball playoffs, sectional playoffs

Michael Conrad pitches in a regular season game in 2012. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

The Lakota East and Lakota West baseball programs won their second round games in the Ohio High School Athletic Association sectional baseball tournament Thursday.

The Thunderhawks (15-12 overall, 10-8 in the Greater Miami Conference) defeated Turpin by the score of 2-0. Senior Michael Conrad, who finished with 13 strikeouts in the win, led Lakota East. Conrad will be playing baseball for the University of Cincinnati next school year.

Meanwhile, Lakota West (18-11 overall, 13-5 in the GMC) defeated Sycamore by the score of 7-4. Walsh University signee Zak Farmer earned the win on the mound and was 2-for-4 at the plate.

• OHSAA baseball Cincinnati regional tournament bracket

With the victories, Lakota West and Lakota East will both advance to district semifinal games to be played at 5 p.m. next Thursday, May 17. The Firebirds will face Moeller (19-5 overall, 9-1 in the Greater Catholic League) at Milford High School, while Lakota East will face Harrison (20-4 overall, 14-0 in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference) at Kings High School.

If both teams win their district semifinal matchups, West will play East at 11 a.m. at Western Hills High School next Saturday, May 19.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West sports, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad, Ohio high school baseball playoffs, ohio high school sectional baseball playoffs, sectional playoffs, Zak Farmer

For the second time in four days, a Lakota West pitcher shutout the defending Division I baseball state champions.

Behind sophomore pitcher Grant Schuermann, Lakota West blanked the Lakota East Thunderhawks by the score of 3-0 on Friday. Then, on Monday, it was senior Zak Farmer who shutout Lakota East in a 7-0 victory at the Hawks Nest.

Lakota West's Michael Seaman jumps in the air to celebrate a run with a teammate during a 7-0 win against Lakota East Monday. Photo taken by Amanda Davidson.

“We have nothing but respect for Lakota East, obviously, they are the defending state champions,” said head coach Bill Dreisbach, who led Lakota West to a state title in 2007.

“Farmer was outstanding from the first inning on. All his pitches, he was throwing for strikes today. He was getting ahead of hitters. He just had a great effort and he has been pitching like that recently. Hopefully, it continues.”

After freshman Austin Allinger tripled to lead off the game and senior Jake Wagner followed with walk, Farmer drove in the game’s first run on what appeared to be routine double play that was broken up when the ball hit the base umpire.

“I didn’t see the play, but when I hit it I thought it was going to be a double play,” Farmer said. “But a run still would have scored, so I wouldn’t have been too upset.

“It kind of started a rally for us.”

The rally, led to four runs in the top half of the game’s first inning.

The run support was more than enough for Farmer, who allowed only two hits and struck out six batters in a complete-game effort. The win was the senior’s first as a varsity pitcher against the Thunderhawks.

“Since it is East, our rival of course, it feels really good,” said Farmer, who improved to 5-1 on the season. “This is good for the young guys.

“It is a big one for all of us.”

Meanwhile, the loss was the Thunderhawks fifth in a row and second straight without scoring a run. Prior to the losing skid, Lakota East had won seven consecutive games and outscored its opponents 57-to-15 during that stretch.

“Baseball is like that. It is a long season. You just have to find a way to get a hit and manufacture a run,” Lakota East head coach Ray Hamilton said. “I have never been a part of team that had been good offensively and then, all of sudden, changes in the last three games (of the season).”

After the five-run first, the Firebirds had trouble finding a way to hit Lakota East senior pitcher Michael Conrad. The senior struck out 12 batters in six innings of work and only gave up one hit after the first inning.

Relief pitcher, junior Brett Colburn, gave up two runs to Lakota West in the top of the seventh.

“We got some good swings on him (Conrad in the first inning) and we were fortunate enough to get the runs in that inning,” Dreisbach said. “You always feel fortunate to get some runs on a pitcher like him, because he is very good.”

BOX: W–Farmer (5-1, 6 K’s); L–Conrad (4-2, 12 K’s). Leaders: LW-Allinger 3B; Farmer 2-4, 2 RBIs; Dombart 2-4, 2 RBIs; Seaman 3B, 2 RBIs; Kuznof RBI. Records: Lakota West 14-9, 12-4 in GMC; Lakota East 13-11, 9-7 in GMC.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Bill Dreisbach, Brett Colburn, Grant Schuermann, Jake Wagner, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Ray Hamilton, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West Bill Dreisbach, Lakota West sports, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad, Ray Hamilton, Zak Farmer

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Construction starts on Millikin Road – Beginning last Monday, Millikin Road in Liberty Township closed between the north and south legs of LeSourdsville West Chester Road for an improvement project. During the construction, local access to the closed portion of Millikin Road will be maintained for residents living within this section only. All other motorists and thru traffic will be required to use the posted detour. The road is tentatively scheduled to reopen the week of June 4, 2012.

Lakota West softball coach wins 300th game – WestChesterBuzz.com reported last Monday that longtime Lakota West softball coach, Keith Castner, won his 300 game that past Saturday. He became the 31st softball coach to accomplish the feat in the state of Ohio, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association record book.

Conrad breaks Lakota strikeout record – WestChesterBuzz.com reported last Monday that Lakota East ace Michael Conrad broke the Lakota school district career strikeout record. The previous record had been held since 1980. Conrad, who The Cincinnati Enquirer baseball player of the year and the Greater Miami Conference baseball player of the year last spring, has signed on to play ball at the University of Cincinnati.

Former county auditor begins paying off $4M penalty – Sheila McLaughlin reported last week that former Butler County Auditor Kay Rogers has to shell out $58,967.74 from her savings to start paying off a $4 million tab in a fiberoptics scandal that landed her in federal prison. Federal authorities wanted to garnish all of the money — $250,000 — from Rogers’ retirement accounts. But Rogers had argued that her children needed something to live on and pay the mortgage while she was in prison for two years.

Mellow Mushroom to open location in West Chester – Mellow Mushroom, a pizza restaurant and pub chain with a bit of a hippie vibe, will open an outpost in West Chester this summer. Kevin Molony, who also owns the Mellow Mushroom in Wilder, is shooting for a mid-July opening at the former Rafferty’s, 9238 Floer Drive and Union Center Boulevard.

Townships announce policy on weather warning sirens – It was announced last week that West Chester and Liberty Townships have negotiated an intergovernmental agreement and policy for the activation of its outdoor weather warning sirens. Under the proposed policy, sirens will be activated under slightly different parameters in each jurisdiction.

Lakota West volleyball team off to best start in school history – The Lakota West volleyball team broke its record for best start to a season and most consecutive wins. The team had won 12 straight before losing abbreviated matches last weekend. The team’s coach, Christy Switzer, also passed the 100-win mark for her career at Lakota West.

Fox’s Pizza Den to open in May – Fox’s Pizza Den, a pizza chain started in Pittsburgh in 1971, will have a Cincinnati location this spring when it opens at the Bridgewater Falls shopping complex in Fairfield Township. Vaughn Lewis, owner of Fox’s Pizza Den, is aiming to open the location by the end of May.

Lakota East defeats rival to take top spot in GMC – Lakota East snapped a four-game losing streak against Lakota West and moved into sole possession of first place in the Greater Miami Conference after a 3-1 victory at the Hawks Nest Thursday. Only a game separates the two rivals in the GMC standings.

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Lakota East, the defending Division I state champions, continued its climb up the Greater Miami Conference standings with a 5-2 win Friday against a Fairfield team that is moving in the opposite direction.

Last spring’s Enquirer baseball player of the year, Lakota East senior Michael Conrad, gave up only four hits, walked one and struck out eight in his fourth win of the season.

“We were pitching him once a week and he said that he felt terrible, so I said ‘let’s try twice a week,’” Lakota East head coach Ray Hamilton said of Conrad, who also pitched Monday. “He looked good today. He looked real good.”

While the Thunderhawks won behind their star player, the Indians have now lost seven straight games since the injury of their senior ace and Kent State signee Curtis Olvey.

Lakota East Brett Colburn is congratulated by Hayden Senger in a 5-2 win against Fairfield April 20, 2012. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

“Since Olvey has been out, we haven’t won,” Fairfield head coach Larry Price said. “Yeah, we do miss him. Take (Joey) Votto out of the Reds lineup and what do you have? That is about what he means to us.

“But, I don’t want to use that excuse. I think that it hurts, big time, but someone has to step up and fill in that gap.”

Olvey played a big role in the Indians’ start, which included 10 straight wins. During that span, Olvey struck out 32 batters in 21 innings and had a 0.67 earned run average. At the plate, he was hitting .389 and still leads the team with six doubles.

Meanwhile, the Thunderhawks have now won six straight and nine of their last 11 games.

“It is still a GMC game and they have dangerous players,” Hamilton said. “When you show up Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you better be ready to play well or you could be leaving with an ‘L.’

“We are finding ways to win and we did that again today.”

Offensively, the Thunderhawks put three runs on the board in the top of the third inning.

Senior Blake Wilder drove in the game’s first run when his line drive popped out of the glove of Fairfield third baseman Spencer Barrett, who leaped for the baseball. Lakota East junior designated hitter Brett Colburn scored on the play.

Later in the third, with the bases loaded and two outs, junior Adam Delaet hit what appeared to be a routine grounder that got by Fairfield second baseman Chris Rossi. Both, senior Alex Corna and Wilder scored on the error.

Another two-out error in the sixth inning, allowed Lakota East junior Ethan Bryant to score the fourth run for the Thunderhawks. Then in the seventh, Colburn drove in junior Tyler Schlensker on a sacrifice fly to center field.

The Indians, however, tried to battle back and scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth. In that inning, senior Tyler Burdine and junior Casey McWhorter each drove in runs on doubles to left field.

BOX: W-Conrad (4-1, 8 K’s). L-Hassler (2-2). LE-Bryant 3B; Corna 2B; Wilder RBI; Colburn RBI. F-Burdine 2B, RBI; McWhorter 2B, RBI. Records: LE-12-6, 9-3 GMC. F-10-7, 6-6 GMC.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Adam Delaet, Alex Corna, Blake Wilder, Casey McWhorter, Chris Rossi, Curtis Olvey, Curtis Olvey Fairfield, Curtis Olvey Kent State, Ethan Bryant, Fairfield baseball, Fairfield Larry Price, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Ray Hamilton, Lakota East Sports, Larry Price, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad, Ray Hamilton, Spencer Barrett, Tyler Burdine, Tyler Schlensker

Michael Conrad currently leads the GMC in strikeouts with 44. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

Lakota East senior Michael Conrad broke the school district’s 32-year-old strikeout record last week. In a 7-1 win against Colerain Wednesday, Conrad struck out 12 batters and recorded his 214th career strikeout – breaking Kevin Davis’ (1978-1980) record of 213 career strikeouts.

“Simply a great accomplishment for a player who has had a huge impact on our success the past four years,” Lakota East head coach Ray Hamilton said.

Last season, Conrad was one of the two aces, along with Evan Hills, on the Thunderhawks’ baseball team that captured the state title. He finished the year with a 5-1 record, a 1.11 earned run average and tied a Lakota school district season record with 115 strikeouts.

Conrad was the Cincinnati Enquirer Baseball Player of the Year and the Greater Miami Conference Baseball Player of the Year last spring.

This season, Conrad has a 2-1 record, a 1.75 earned run average and has 44 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched.

Next year, Conrad will join Hills at the University of Cincinnati to continue his baseball career. As a freshman, Hills has appeared in eight games for the Bearcats, has held opponents to a .194 batting average, has a 3.72 earned run average and has seven strikeouts in 9.2 innings.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota strikeout record, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad

Michael Conrad currently leads the GMC in strikeouts with 44. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

The athletic departments at Lakota East and Lakota West high schools recently named their athletes of the week. Junior Lea Buckenmyer and senior Michael Conrad received the honor at Lakota East, while sophomores Grant Schuermann and Ashley Sharp were honored at Lakota West.

While Buckenmyer and Conrad were the first to be acknowledged this spring at Lakota East, Lakota West has also honored seniors Alex Vohland and Amanda Shelby as athletes of the week this April.

Lea Buckenmyer has been the Thunderhawks go-to pitcher this spring, pitching in 11 games and having a 9-2 record. She also has 48 strikeouts, three shutouts and a 1.28 earned run average in 71 total innings. At the plate, she has also been one of Lakota East’s top hitters – leading the team in runs, doubles, triples, runs batted in and on-base percentage. She also has a batting average of .479. Overall, her team is currently 12-2 overall and 7-1 in the Greater Miami Conference.

Like last season, Michael Conrad has been one of the most dominating pitchers in the region. In four starts, Conrad is 2-1 and has an earned run average of 1.75. He also has 44 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. Conrad, who was honored as The Enquirer’s spring baseball athlete of the year last spring, has signed on to play baseball at the University of Cincinnati.

Grant Schuermann has excelled on the mound and at the plate for the Firebirds this season. According to the GMC website, he leads the team with a .405 batting average and is also 2-0 as a starting pitcher this spring. Schuermann received the honor, however, by pitching two complete games in wins against Princeton (12-1) April 2 and against Kings (5-0) April 7. In addition, he doubled in both contests.

Like Buckenmyer, Ashley Sharp has been go-to pitcher this spring, pitching in 13 games and having a record of 10-2. She also has 68 strikeouts, four shutouts and a 1.32 earned run average in 79.1 innings. At the plate, she is second on the team in hits, doubles and in batting average (.350). She leads the team in runs batted in. She has been a big reason why, Lakota West is currently 11-3 overall and 8-0 in the GMC.

On March 29, Alex Vohland led Lakota West with 17 kills in a win against Centerville. Since then, Lakota West has continued to play well on the court and has an overall record of 9-0 and a 3-0 mark within the GMC. Vohland has been key reason for the strong start, leading the GMC with 130 kills.

Meanwhile, Amanda Shelby took first place in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs at the Fairfield Invitational. This past Wednesday, Shelby finished second in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs at the Ralph Bergdoll Invitational in Miamisburg.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Vohland, Amanda Shelby, Ashley Sharp, Ashley Sharp Lakota West, athletes of the week, Grant Schuermann, Lakota athletes of the week, Lakota East, Lakota East athletics, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West boys' volleyball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track, Lea Buckenmyer, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad

Lakota East senior ace Mike Conrad during a game against Mason on Monday, April 2, 2012. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

Every Friday morning this spring, WestChesterBuzz.com will provide a quick weekly recap of the Lakota varsity high school sports games as well as previewing the weekend. On Mondays, look for the Lakota weekly athletic schedule.

Lakota West baseball: After starting the season by losing three of its first four games, Lakota West is currently on a four-game winning streak. In those four games, played last Saturday through Thursday, Lakota West has outscored its opponents by the score of 38-4. On another note, Lakota West head Bill Dreisbach became the school district’s all-time leader in wins Wednesday. After another win Thursday, Dreisbach has now won 270 games. Also as of Thursday, Lakota West is 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Greater Miami Conference.

Lakota East baseball: After losing to Mason Monday for the second time this season, the Thunderhawks defeated Princeton on back-to-back evenings this week. In the 4-2 loss against Mason, University of Cincinnati signee Michael Conrad gave up two hits and struck out 10 in 5 innings of work. For the season, Conrad (0-1) has 22 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched. As of Wednesday, Lakota East is 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the GMC.

Lakota West softball: Lakota West is in sole possession of first place in the Greater Miami Conference standings. On Monday, the Firebirds defeated Oak Hills, 2-1, on Monday and Princeton, 10-0, on Thursday. Lakota West also took first place in the latest coaches poll from The Cincinnati Enquirer. In the Enquirer’s preseason poll, the Firebirds were tied with Lakota East – a team the Firebirds defeated by the score of 6-2 March 30. As of Thursday, Lakota West is 8-2 overall and 6-0 in the GMC.

Lakota East softball: After losing to rival Lakota West last week, the Thunderhawks (No. 2 in Enquirer poll) have won three in a row this week including a 5-4 win against Mason (No. 3 in Enquirer poll) Thursday. Earlier in the week, the first game since the loss to Lakota West, Lakota East defeated Princeton by the score of 25-2. As of Thursday, Lakota East is 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the GMC.

Lakota West boys’ volleyball: The Firebirds are off to a great start this season, winning all seven games. The last match, a 25-6, 25-10, 25-8, win against Sycamore gave Lakota West its first GMC victory of the season. As of Thursday, Lakota West is 7-0 overall and 1-0 in the GMC.

Lakota East boys’ volleyball: The Thunderhawks are also playing well and won a road match at Edgewood by the score of 25-17, 25-8, 25-14 on Tuesday. As of Wednesday, Lakota East is 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the GMC.

See below for the complete Lakota varsity high school sports weekend schedule:

Friday, April 6

Lakota East – softball – at Miami East at 10:30 a.m.
Lakota East – softball – vs. Gahanna Lincoln at 12:30 p.m.
Lakota East – baseball – vs. Independence at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 7

Lakota West – baseball – vs. Kings at 11 a.m.
Lakota West – softball – vs. Gahanna Lincoln at 12 p.m.
Lakota East – softball – vs. Mt. Notre Dame at 12:30 p.m.
Lakota West – baseball – vs. Kings at 1 p.m.
Lakota East – softball – vs. Bloom Carroll at 2:30 p.m.
Lakota West – softball – vs. Glen Este at 4 p.m.

Game dates and times are subject to change. Please contact school directly to confirm.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota athletic weekly recap, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East boys' volleyball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota sports schedule, Lakota sports weekly, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West boys' volleyball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad

The Mason Comets completed a four-game sweep against Lakota high school baseball teams with a 4-2 victory at Mason Middle School Monday.

Overall, the Mason batters struggled to make contact against Lakota East senior ace Michael Conrad, but got a big hit when it mattered.

In the bottom of the third inning, University of Cincinnati signee Conrad loaded the bases with a wild pitch on a strikeout, hit a batter and allowed another batter to reach on a fielder’s choice.

Then, with one out, Mason junior third baseman Drew Johnson got the Comets’ first hit of the game when he pulled a Conrad fastball down the third baseline for a 2-RBI single.

“Conrad was blowing some serious cheese. I just got a pitch in the zone and I was to get a soft grounder down the third baseline. It really got the team going and pumped up,” Johnson said. “Andrew McDonald then shut it down.”

After laboring through the first two innings, walking two and hitting two other batters, McDonald settled down, striking out seven batters and allowing two hits in six innings.

One of those hits was a solo home run by senior center fielder Alex Corna, which cleared the 345-foot marker in right-center field.

Mason shortstop Marcus Otte celebrates during a 6-2 win against Lakota East. Photo by Tony Tribble.

“It was an outstanding performance for him (McDonald). To do that against a ballclub like that, the defending state champions regardless of where they are now, is impressive,” Mason head coach Ken Gray said. “He just threw a heck of ballgame today.”

The Comets added a pair of insurance runs. One more in the third on an errant throw to the pitcher and another run on an error on a ground ball to the second baseman in the fourth.

Meanwhile, in a losing effort, Conrad also pitched well for the Thunderhawks, finishing the game by striking out 10 batters and allowing only two hits in five innings of work.

“When you strike out 10 and give up two hits that should be good enough for the win,” Lakota East head coach Ray Hamilton said. “He was good enough last Monday, when gave up four hits and struck out 12. When do that, you should win. Right now, we are not.”

The defending state champs are not winning and also lost Conrad’s last outing by the score of 4-2 against Hamilton March 26. Overall, the Thunderhawks are 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the Greater Miami Conference.

“This is the GMC. I don’t care who you play for, you have to have good at-bats,” Hamilton said. “There is real good pitching in this league and that will never change. Mason is a really good team, so hopefully we can learn from this, get better from this and not make the same mistakes we made today.”

The Comets, on the other hand, behind a deep pitching staff are off to 6-2 start and improve to 4-0 in the GMC.

“It has been a blast so far. We have a great team and we think that we can make a run at the GMC and maybe advance further later on in the season,” Johnson said.

BOX: W–McDonald (2-0, 7 K’s); Conrad (0-1, 10 K’s). Leaders M-Johnson 2 RBI. LE-Corna HR. M 6-2, 4-0 GMC. LE 2-4, 1-3 GMC.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Corna, Alex Corna Ohio, Hamilton baseball, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad

Mr. Redlegs high fives guests Monday, March 26, 2012, in the inaugural Reds Future High School Showcase at Prasco Park Legacy Field in Mason. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber of WestChesterBuzz.com.

After wining nine straight games to finish last season, which included the school’s first ever state team title, Lakota East lost by the score of 4-2 to Greater Miami Conference foe Hamilton in both schools’ season openers Monday during the inaugural Reds Future High School Showcase at Prasco Park Legacy Field in Mason.

The game went into the seventh inning, tied 2-2, when Hamilton’s starting pitcher Steven Moore crushed a triple in the right-field corner off junior relief pitcher Brett Colburn. The play drove in junior second baseman Jeffrey Benge with the go-ahead run. Moore would later score on a wild pitch.

The Thunderhawks lost despite a strong performance from senior pitcher Michael Conrad. The University of Cincinnati signee and 2011 Enquirer player of the year used an 87-mph fastball and a 71-mph curveball to fool the Big Blue lineup. Over six innings, Conrad totaled 12 strikeouts.

Conrad got a two-run cushion in the bottom of the first inning when his best friend and senior classmate Alex Corna (Ohio University signee) hammered a pitch an estimated 350 feet over the right-field fence against Moore.

Hamilton came back to tie the score in the bottom of the fourth when senior rightfielder Patrick McGuff and sophomore shortstop John Heckman came through with a pair of two-out RBI singles.

The bottom half of that inning, McGuff came in to pitch for Hamilton and shut down the Thunderhawks’ offense. In the last four innings of the ballgame, McGuff cruised through the next 10 batters before hitting junior pinch-hitter Tyler Schlensker in the bottom of the seventh.

The next batter, junior Chris Elam grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to preserve the win.

“Anytime you can get a win first time out of the box, it is a good win, and to beat a quality team like Lakota East, it is an even bigger win,” Hamilton head coach Joe Lewis said.

“It’s a big one for the club, hopefully the first of many this year.”

Hamilton 4, Lakota East 2

W-McGuff (1-0); Colburn (0-1), Conrad (12 K’s). Leaders L-Corna 2-R HR. H-McGuff RBI; Heckman RBI; Benge 2-3, 2B; Moore RBI 3B. Hamilton (1-0, 1-0 in the GMC), Lakota East (0-1, 0-1 in the GMC)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Corna, Alex Corna Ohio, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Reds Futures High School Showcase, Hamilton baseball, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad, Patrick McGuff, Reds Futures High School Showcase