By Steve Fields
Tribune-Star Correspondent
Avon
June 14, 2009 12:03 am
—
The Shakamak Lakers were two outs away from returning to Indianapolis for the opportunity of defending their Class A high school baseball title. They didn’t make it.
A home run, an error, a wild pitch and a game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Vincennes Rivet Patriots to an 8-7 victory over the Lakers in the Class A semistate game on Saturday afternoon at Avon High School.
“I got one simple word: That’s baseball. That’s all I can say. It happens,” Shakamak coach Matt Fougerousse said after talking to his disappointed Lakers.
Shakamak took a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. Shakamak’s T.J. Hill retired the Patriot first batter on an infield fly and the anticipation began mounting. The team that graduated six starters from a state championship team was on the verge of returning.
But Rivet’s Tyler Vieke drove a Hill fastball over the left field fence to tie the score 7-7.
Rivet’s Matt Sievers hit a routine bouncer down the third base line where the usually reliable and accurate Bill Newton gloved it, but came up short on his throw to first. With Rivet’s Philip Halter at bat, Hill overthrew the catcher and Sievers raced to second and into scoring position. Halter singled up the middle and Sievers raced home with the winning run.
“Lately we’ve been very fortunate to get to that state championship game. This year, for some reason, it wasn’t meant to be. I believe everything happens for a reason and it was their time,” Fougerousse said.
The Patriots responded to everything the Lakers threw at them.
Shakamak, the visiting team, opened the game with a three-run first inning. Newton delivered a run-scoring double and Jarred VanHorn came through with a two-out double to score Newton. Scott McNabb singled to bring in VanHorn for a 3-0 Laker lead.
But Rivet answered with a four-run first inning on four hits, including doubles by Mitchell Bahr and Spencer Wirth and a triple by Brady Mouzin.
“You got to give Vincennes Rivet all the credit right now. They’re the ones who came out and hit the ball. Probably the turning point of the game was the first inning, we score three [runs], then they answer with four. That gave them all the momentum [and] confidence they needed,” Fougerousse said.
“But give our kids credit. [The Lakers] battled back and took the lead.”
Shakamak’s Hill settled down over the next four innings. He struck out the side in the second and retired eight in a row before Mouzin singled with two out in the fourth.
The Lakers went ahead 6-4 with a three-run third inning. Hill was hit by a pitch to lead off the rally and Brock Dowell came in as a pinch runner. One out later, McNabb reached base on an error and Richardson singled to load the bases.
Rivet nearly got out of the inning, but Cory Deschamp connected for two-out, run-scoring base hit, then John Smith brought home two more runs with a single.
Shakamak made it 7-4 in the fifth when Richardson singled and moved up when Kade Sapp was hit by a pitch. On a double-steal, Rivet’s catcher overthrew third base and Richardson raced home.
Things started to unravel for Shakamak in the sixth. Hill hit Rivet’s Sievers and Fougerousse opted for a pitching change. Richardson came to the mound and Rivet’s Halter greeted him with a two-run home run. Two batters later, Fougerousse brought Hill back to pitch and sent Richardson back to shortstop. The three-run lead was down to one, 7-6.
“[We] tried to give them another look. T.J. was tired. It was time for a pitching change and it didn’t work, so we brought T.J. back in,” Fougerousse explained.
The loss ended Shakamak’s season at 16-9.
“I think we outplayed them in every facet of the game, except final score. We out hit them. We just didn’t make a play here or there,” Fougerousse said.
V. Rivet 8, Shakamak 7
Shakamak ab r h bi Vincennes R. ab r h bi
Smith c 3 1 1 2 Bahr ss 3 1 1 0
Sparks 2b 3 0 0 0 Vieke rf 4 1 1 1
Newton 3b 4 1 2 1 Sievers 1b 3 3 1 1Hill p 3 0 1 0 Halter c 3 2 2 3
Dowell pr 0 1 0 0 Wirth p,3b 3 1 1 1
VanHorn 1b 4 1 1 1 C.Mntgmry cf 2 0 0 0
McNabb lf 4 1 1 1 Mouzin 3b,p 3 0 2 2
Richardson ss 4 2 3 0 Potter 2b 2 0 0 0
Sapp dh 3 0 0 0 Campbell dh 3 0 0 0
Grissom cf 0 0 0 0 E.Mntgmry lf 0 0 0
Deschamp rf 4 0 1 0
Totals 32 7 10 6 Totals 26 8 8 8
Shakamak 303 010 0 — 7
Vincennes Rivet 400 002 2 — 8
E – Newton, Deschamp, Bahr, Halter, Wirth, Mouzin. DP – None. LOB – Shak. 8, VR 4. HR – Vieke. 3B – Mouzin. 2B – Newton, VanHorn, Richardson, Bahr, Wirth. SH - Sparks. SB – Newton, Richardson, Sapp, C. Montgomery. CS – Mouzin, Vieke.
IP H R ER BB SO
Brebeuf
Shakamak
Hill (L) 6.2 7 7 2 3 8
Richardson 0.1 1 1 1 1 0
Vincennes Rivet
Wirth 4.0 8 6 1 1 5
Mouzin (W) 3 2 1 0 0 3
WP – Hill 2, Wirth, Mouzin. PB - None. HBP - by Hill (Sievers), by Wirth (Hill), by Mouzin (Sapp).
Next — Vincennes Rivet 14-8) plays Lafayette Central Catholic (27-4) at Victory Field in Indianapolis either Friday or Saturday. Shakamak finished 16-9.
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