By Mike Varner
Regional Correspondent

Liberty Township, Ohio – The No. 3 seeded Lakota East Thunderhawks (24-3) received a scare Saturday afternoon from the No. 19 seeded Glen Este Trojans (11-14).

Lakota East senior LHP Derek Baker (Ashland recruit) took the hill pitching six innings giving up three earned runs, striking out seven and walking one.

The Glen Este offense struck early off of Baker as he allowed three hits and two runs in the first inning.

Meanwhile, Glen Este sophomore RHP Peyton Burdick took the loss as he was knocked out in the 3rd inning. Burdick, usually precise with his command, couldn’t find the strike zone with his breaking stuff, walking five and hitting two batters while giving up four runs on just one hit.

Sophomore pitcher Evan Moores, who just turned 15, came in with the bases loaded and no outs in the 3rd inning. Moore proceeded to handcuff two East batters as they hit come backers to the mound. He ended the inning with a strike out to escape the jam.

Moores continued to sail through innings through the next the innings, allowing only two hits and striking out five.

In the seventh inning, Lakota East junior Kyle Lepper came in relief and gave up the tying run as the game came to a 4 to 4 tie.

In the bottom of the 8^th, Moores began to tire and the Glen Este infield began to break down. Eventually, 
unsigned senior outfielder Tyler Schlensker singled in senior Brett Colburn who reached on one of the Trojans’ five errors for the day.

Lakota managed only six hits in eight innings but were helped by the Trojans eight walks, three hit batters, and five errors. All five runs that scored started with a walk, HBP, or an error.

Glen Este’s 1-4 batters reached base safely in 13 of 16 plate appearances. The offense was led by unsigned senior outfielder Austin Rieck, who was 3 for 4 and scored twice. Junior outfielder Tyler Burdick was 2 for 3 with a HBP and a RBI. Glen Este’s 5 through 9 hitters could not keep pace and went a combined 1 for 20 on the day with seven strikeouts.

Lakota East (24-3) travel to Western Hills High School Thursday May 23rd to play the Loveland Tigers (20-6) in Ohio Division I playoff action.

To view scouting notes from games across Ohio, please visit the Ohio High School Scouting Blog. The blog gets updated throughout the week. 

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