A lot of buzz surrounded Lafayette High’s baseball team following a 3-0 start to the season.
The Rams made a statement Friday afternoon after defeating host Grafton 11-5 Friday afternoon.
“The last couple years, we’ve been taking a lot of beatings,” Lafayette coach Rick Schenk said after the game. “We’ve been one of the youngest teams, and we’re still very young, but the growing pains are starting to pay off.
“This year, the kids feel like it’s their turn to get some payback.”
Added junior Solomon McCray, who was 3-4 at the plate with one RBI and a pair of runs-scored, “
Friday’s victory over Grafton, the Rams’ fourth-straight to open the season as they remain tied with York (4-0) atop the district standings, was perhaps their best all-around performance of the season.
Lafayette’s players said they entered the season with high expectations, but said they needed a win over a marquee opponent to solidify themselves as a force in the district.
“We’re not just a bunch of young kids playing baseball, we actually mean business this year,” said junior Solomon McCray, who finished 3-4 at the plate with one RBI and a pair of runs-scored. “Grafton is always one of the top teams in the district, so it feels great to come out on top and prove that we’re not the underdog anymore.”
Schenk wasn’t thrilled with the way his team closed the game with a big lead – they led 11-2 entering the bottom of the seventh before the Clippers rallied for three late runs, thanks in part to two Lafayette errors – but the Rams did more than enough up to that point allow themselves some breathing room.
After stranding the bases loaded in their first at-bat, Lafayette made up for it with an eight-run second inning that came as a combination of timely hitting and erratic pitching from Grafton’s Evan Sperling, who walked six batters in just 1.1 innings of work.
The offensive outburst put the Rams in control, and excellent pitching from Stephen Howard and Tyler Kirby helped keep it that way.
Making his first start of the season, Howard settled down after allowing two runs in the first despite not giving up a hit. He held the Clippers scoreless over two more innings of work thanks to an efficient mix of off-speed pitches, including an impressive knuckleball that Grafton hitters had a tough time solving.
Kirby came on to pitch the final four innings in relief and didn’t give up a hit until the final inning when the Clippers rallied for three runs on three hits.
“I was very happy with our pitching for the most part,” Schenk said. “Stephen usually plays centerfield, but he stepped up today and did a good job against a very good team. Then Tyler [Kirby] came on and just threw strikes, which is all we needed.”
Grafton made Howard pay for three first-inning walks as Bartells, who drew a base on balls to open the frame, stole second and third base before scoring on an infield ground ball. Nic Kurz, who walked two batters later, eventually scored when Lafayette sacrificed a run for an out by electing to catch Grafton’s Gray Harris stealing second.
Lafayette wasted no time getting both of those runs back, and then some.
Sperling got himself in trouble walking three of the first four batters he faced to open the second inning.
Daniel Blankinship then drew a bases-loaded walk before McCray’s RBI base hit tied the game 2-2. A Matt Keane walk and infield single from Jeremiah Antle put the Rams up 4-2 before freshman Luke Lipcious provided perhaps the biggest hit of the entire game.
After striking out looking in his first plate appearance, L. Lipcious smoked a line drive off the fence in right centerfield that cleared the bases to stretch Lafayette’s lead 7-2.
“I was trying not to think about my strikeout before,” said L. Lipcious, who led the Rams with 4 RBI. “I just tried to keep my weight back, trust my hands, find my pitch and groove it.”
Two batters later, L. Lipcious scored Lafayette’s eighth run of the frame on an RBI base hit by his twin brother, Andre.
“Our confidence level is way up,” L. Lipcious added. “But we have some really tough games coming, so we have to try and stay focused and play like we did today, but cut down some of the errors.”
The Rams will host cross-town rival Warhill (3-1) next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Warhill complex.
Lafayette 11 Grafton 5
Lafayette- 082;001;0 – 11 13 3
Grafton- 200;000;3 – 5 5 0
WP: Howard (1-0)
LP: Sperling (1-1)
Lafayette (4-0)- L. Lipcious 2-5 (4 RBI, 2 runs) Solomon 3-4 (2 runs, RBI), Antle 2-5 (run, 2 RBI)
Grafton (2-2)- Bartells 2-3 (2 runs, 2 SB), Kurz 1-2 (2 runs, RBI)
