History-making Mustangs’ season ends in state semifinals

AKRON — After a couple rain delays that sent the Division V State Semifinals into a two-day event, the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs baseball team saw their history-making season end in the Final Four, as they fell to the Graham Local Falcons by a 4-1 score at Canal Park in downtown Akron Saturday evening. 

The Mustangs (24-4) took what they called their #StangBang tour the furthest the program had ever been, reaching the state semifinals, all while setting a program record for wins in a season. 

Getting to the state level saw LCHS finish 13-0 in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference, win a second district championship in program history and they won their first-ever regional championship on their road to Akron. 

In the state semifinals, the Mustangs and the Falcons (20-10) each finished with seven hits, while LCHS had two errors and GHS had one. Graham left a total of seven players on the bases, while LCHS had eight LOB. 

The state semifinal game ended up being a two-day game, as night one on Friday was initially delayed from a 7 p.m. start to getting underway after 9 p.m., before the game was suspended after two innings shortly before midnight after another delay.

“Considering all the cards we were dealt, at the end of the day I’m happy they came out and fought,” LCHS head coach James Flowers said. “We could have laid down after (Friday) night because of the situation we were put into, but they continued to fight, so I’m very proud of the effort they put forward tonight.

“We have a brotherhood here. I know I said it, but they are as close as kids are going to get. It’s not often you come out of a game like this and see underclassmen with heartbreak. The heartbreak isn’t why those underclassmen are shedding tears back there. They are going to miss the nine guys who are seniors, and that’s what hurts.”

When the two teams finally got on the Canal Park field following a mild rain at best during the two-hour wait, it was the Falcons who scored first, crossing home plate twice for a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. 

Graham’s Owen Powell (1-for-3) opened the game with a lead-off walk against LCHS pitcher Cole Wells, and then Wells walked Zach Wheeland in the ensuing at-bat, putting the first two Falcons batters on the bases. Then, following a strikeout, Adam Levy hit a hard single to right field, scoring Powell for a 1-0 lead over the Mustangs. 

Next, a fielder’s choice hit into by Breyton Reisinger scored Wheeland for a 2-0 advantage. 

The Mustangs in their first two innings at the plate didn’t reach the bases with three strikeouts and three pop-up outs in their six plate appearances, as they were retired in order the first two innings on Friday night. 

Wells pitched two innings on night one where he allowed two earned runs on one hit and three walks with five strikeouts. Wells threw 47 pitches, 29 for strikes. 

Hayden Van Hoose of Graham also pitched night one and in two innings allowed no runs or hits with no walks, finishing the Friday night outing with three strikeouts. He threw 31 pitches, 19 for strikes. 

Then the rain actually let loose later in the evening before the 10 p.m. hour, resulting in another nearly two-hour delay before the decision makers announced the game would be suspended until Saturday at 4 p.m. The games earlier on Saturday were also delayed, resulting in a 7:46 p.m. restart Saturday for the Mustangs and Falcons. 

The two teams returned to Canal Park field Saturday evening, and things were rolling again with Braedon West retiring the Falcons in order with two fly ball outs and a groundout. 

Lynchburg-Clay left two runners on the bases in the bottom of the third as they had a two-out hit by Elam Faust on the first pitch of the at-bat, followed by a walk by Josiah Burns. 

Graham also left two runners on the bases in the top of the fourth, as they too had two players reach the bases with two outs, but West struck out the final Graham batter to end the inning. 

LC’s lone run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth with another two-out burst. Quin Wells kept the inning going with a base hit to right field, then went to second base. 

Trevor Niehaus gained the RBI with a single to centerfield, scoring Wells. Later in the inning, he went to second base on an infield hit by Cody Bell, but in an attempt to steal third, Wells was called out to end the inning. 

Graham added a run in the top of the fifth with a two-out rally of their own as Holden Dunham walked with two puts, and later scored off a single to centerfield by Adam Levy (2-for-3) for the 3-1 lead. 

The Mustangs battled at the plate in the bottom of the fifth with Tanner Roberts (1-for-2) leading off with a base hit to centerfield, with Austin Bell entering the game as a pinch runner. 

Bell stole second base and went to third on a groundout to first base by Elam Faust (1-for-2). Burns took first base following a one-out walk, but the next two consecutive outs were recorded on infield popups to end the inning with two runners left on the bases. 

Graham scored their final run in the top of the sixth with Dylan LaFollette (2-for-3) hitting a one-out single to the middle of the infield, and with two outs, Van Hoose (1-for-3) singled to left field. 

Powell knocked in LaFollette with a single to centerfield for the two-out run and a 4-1 lead over the Mustangs. 

Again, the Mustangs continued to battle with a leadoff single to centerfield by Christian Flowers (1-for-3), and with two outs Cody Bell (2-for-3) hit an infield single to third base in the state semifinal game.

Like the previous inning, the Mustangs were unable to get the hit they needed before the third out of the sixth was recorded, leaving two runners stranded. 

The Mustangs had one last opportunity in the bottom of the seventh as West kept the season going with a two-out walk, but the game ended on a strikeout, putting Graham in the state finals. 

“Hats off to their pitcher (Saturday),” Flowers said. “He did a good job and had a real nice breaking ball.”

West pitched all of night two for the Mustangs, finishing with five innings on the mound, allowing two earned runs on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts. West finished with 51 pitches and faced 20 batters. 

Levy pitched night two for the Falcons and in five innings allowed one run (unearned) on seven hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. Levy finished with 90 pitches, facing 21 batters. 

After the two-day game was completed, Flowers spoke about what it was like keeping his players focused and on task with all the waiting during the delays and the following day, especially being over three hours away from home. 

“We tried to keep them fed,” Flowers said, smiling. “They’re high school kids, so you try to keep food in front of them, and usually they’ll do just about whatever you need them to do. 

“I’m not going to lie, it’s hard to get the kids focused up here because there is a lot happening. There’s a lot of things they’re not used to, just sitting around idle. There is a lot happening, and a lot these kids aren’t used to, so it’s well done to the coaches to get up here and who have success, because it is hard to get the kids to focus.”

Seniors for Lynchburg-Clay are Josiah Burns, Braedon West, Cole Wells, Christian Flowers, Asher Faust, Cody Bell, Caden Faust, Austin Bell and Jay Cordrey.

“I told them 28 years from now, people are going to be talking about them like they do the 1997 team,” Flowers said. “The goal all year was to make them hang a photo on the (gym) wall, and it was mission accomplished.”

With all the long-distance travel this postseason for the Mustangs — as they’ve played in Athens at Ohio University, at Marietta College and Akron — their fan support has been there every step of the way and every mile traveled. 

“I have many thanks to give, and I’m not naming names tonight, but a lot of Highland County stepped up when things went unexpectedly,” Flowers said. “Everything everyone did for us and all the support we’ve had, we say thanks, and it’s very appreciated.” 

BOX SCORE
GHS    200 011 0 — 4 7 1 
LCHS    000 100 0 — 1 7 2 

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