Mustangs defeat rival Whiteoak for SHAC victory

Three two-run innings on offense, added with a strong pitching effort by Cole Wells, sent the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs to a 6-4 victory over conference and Highland County rival Whiteoak on Thursday at WHS. 

LCHS led 4-1 after the first two innings, with the Mustangs scoring two runs in the top of the first and two more runs in the top of the second for the 4-1 lead. WHS scored their first run in the bottom of the first inning. 

WHS came back with another run in the bottom of the fourth and sixth innings, for a 4-2 LCHS lead. Then the Mustangs put the pressure on Whiteoak with two more runs in the top of the seventh inning, while WHS added one final run in the bottom of the same inning. 

Lynchburg-Clay totaled 10 hits in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference win, while Whiteoak had six hits. Each team committed four errors. 

For the victorious Mustangs, Elam Faust finished 2-for-4 with a run. Also with two hits for the Mustangs was Cole Wells at 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. 

Josiah Burns was 1-for-2 with two runs, and Brayden West ended the game at 1-for-2 with one RBI and a walk. Trevor Niehaus was 1-for-4, and Christian Flowers also had a hit at 1-for-3 with one RBI. 

Asher Faust finished 1-for-3 with a run, and Cody Bell was 1-for-3. The Mustangs also had Austin Bell scored a run and draw a walk. Cody Bell, Elam Faust and Burns all had a steal. 

Wells was the pitcher, pitching six innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks, with 123 pitches, 78 for strikes. Wells totaled 13 strikeouts in the win. 

Flowers pitched one inning for the save, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks, and he also collected one strikeout on 18 pitches, 11 for strikes. 

The Wildcats had Zander Roades finish 2-for-4 with one run and a walk. Eli Roberts went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a walk. 

Jacen Applegate finished the day at 1-for-3 with a run, and Jacob Kiley was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Kaden Moon-Stone, Applegate, Abraham Flader and Camron Storms each were hit by a pitch. 

Moon-Stone was charged with the loss, pitching all seven innings, allowing six runs (two earned) on 10 hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Moon-Stone threw 101 pitches, 64 for strikes. 

WHS is now 11-3 overall, while LCHS stands at 6-6 overall following the win. 

BOX SCORE
LCHS    220 000 2 — 6 20 4
WHS    100 101 1 — 4 6 4

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.