Commodores Rebound For Game Two Win And Split With Lakeland

April 7, 2024 – The Lorain County Community College baseball team split a doubleheader with the Lakeland Community College Lakers Sunday afternoon at The Pipe Yard as they were backed by the superb pitching of Caleb Shinsky (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview HS) in game two.  Shinsky and the LCCC defense held the Lakers scoreless over the final four innings, clinging to a one run lead, to earn the split.

Recap

Game One

The Commodores, with the exception of Jaden Nestor-Fox (Vermilion, Ohio/Vermilion HS) who had three hits, were held in check by the Lakers throughout game one.  They had chances, like in the first inning when they stranded runners at second and third with one out or in the second when they had the first two batters reach base, but they couldn't come up with the timely hit to put runs on the board.

The Lakers scored twice in the first inning and then added another four runs in the second.  Game one starter Silas Skvor (Oberlin, Ohio/Oberlin HS) struck out two batters but only lasted 1.1 innings when Jordan Streamo (Girard, Ohio/Niles McKinley HS) took over in long relief to go 4.1 innings with a strikeout.  Dan Arth (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood HS) finished the pitching duties for LCCC in the seventh.

Game Two

It looked like it would be more the same for the Commodores when Lakeland led off game two with a double and moved the runner to third after a fly out to right field.  Shinsky struck out the next batter and forced a groundout to keep the Lakers off the board. 

The Commodores loaded the bases in the first inning thanks to three straight walks by the Lakeland starting pitcher.  Nestor-Fox didn't wait for a hit to score and scampered home from third on a botched pickoff attempt by the Lakers at second base. Lakeland retired the next two LCCC batters before Yaniel Valentin (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain HS) doubled to right center scoring Mason Shultz (Vermilion, Ohio/Vermilion HS) and Hunter Cahl (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria HS) to put the Commodores up 3-0 after the first inning. 

Shinsky and the Commodore defense went back to work in the second.  Shinsky walked the leadoff hitter but forced a double play ball to Nestor-Fox at second to end the Laker threat.

Lakeland plated a pair of runs when they loaded the bases with no outs in the third and cut the Commodore lead to 3-2. But after that, they never got a runner past first base for the rest of the game as Shinsky continued to get support from his teammates in the field and limited the Laker offense to one hit in the final four innings.  Whether it was his outfielders tracking down fly balls on the run or nifty glove work and diving stops from his infield, it was the Commodores who held the Lakers in check in game two.

Shinsky walked a batter with one out in the seventh and the Commodores defense nearly turned a game ending double play but the Laker runner beat out the throw to extend the contest.  Shinsky produced a fly out in the next at bat that Kian Ortiz (Lorain, Ohio/Clearview HS) caught in right field to end the game.

Shinsky would finish with four strikeouts allowing just four hits to snag his first complete game victory of his LCCC career.

Notes

• Jaden Nestor-Fox had his ninth multi-hit game of the season, a team-high
• For Nestor-Fox, it was the third time this season he has had three hits in a game
• Mason Shultz and Nestor-Fox were the only Commodores to collect hits in both games
• The Commodores picked up their third victory of the season against an NJCAA DII opponent (March 27, 2024 vs. Hocking and March 30, 2024 vs. Community Christian College)

Next Up

The Commodores will host the Clark State Community College Eagles at Crushers Stadium in Avon on Tuesday April, 9, 2024 with first pitch at 1 p.m.