(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
BACK TO THE BAG … Evergreen’s Layne Vance dives back to first base to avoid the pickoff attempt.
WINNING PITCHER … Swanton pitcher Adam Lemon goes after a popup bunt by an Evergreen hitter. Lemon went five innings on the hill with five strikeouts to get the win.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
SWANTON (April 9, 2025) – Baseball sometimes can be a very non-analytical game. You throw the ball. You catch the ball.
After three straight error-less games, Evergreen struggled defensively, as Swanton needed just four hits to take advantage of six Viking miscues to claim a 7-3 victory.
“We made plays when we had to,” Bulldog coach Josh Siewert said of his team’s efforts on the field. “Our defense has been pretty solid this season, so they kept doing it in the field today.”
“We are above where we wanted to be so far. There are definitely high expectations for us this season but 5-0 might be better than we thought we would be.”
Evergreen took an early 3-0 lead in the first three innings but could’ve had a few more except for a pair of baserunning blunders.
Chris Shrader’s single and Layne Vance’s RBI double down the left field line gave the Vikes a 1-0 lead in the first.
Evergreen doubled that margin in the second but missed a golden chance to get more. John Herdman and Blake Boucher opened with base hits and Brendan Holman’s single plated one run.
But a miscue on the sacks on a bunt, hung up a Viking runner between second and third for an out and Swanton starter Adam Lemon escaped further damage getting a pair of strikeouts with the bases loaded to end the threat.
A hit batter and a throwing error put the Vikings up 3-0, but again a Viking baserunner got nailed going second to third with one out to kill another threat.
In the bottom of the third, Swanton took advantage of the Vikings’ defensive miscues. A walk, Isaiah Bolyard’s grounder up the middle, then a throwing error when a Swanton runner was picked off put runners at second and third where Luke Marlow grounded a two-run single to left to get Swanton within 3-2.
“He is a spark plug,” Siewert said of his junior shortstop. “I can’t say enough about him. Last year we missed him when he got hurt and we did as well as we did without him so getting him back this year was a real bonus.”
An inning later the Bulldogs gained a tie against Evergreen starter Troy Manz. Carson Bond led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and came home on a misplayed ground ball to knot the game at 3-3.
Swanton took the lead for good in the fifth when Marlow led off with his second single of the day and a dropped fly ball along with a wild pitch put runners at second and third with no one out.
Two ground balls got in the two runs, and the Bulldogs added two more in the sixth without a hit on three more Viking errors.
Manz deserved better as he went 3.1 innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. Nolan Hudik took the tough loss, giving up four unearned runs and just one hit. Hudik struck out five and walked one.
Lemon got the win as he worked around eight hits and a pair of hit batters.
EHS 111 000 0 – 3 8 6
SHS 002 122 x – 7 4 1
Records: EHS 2-3, SHS 5-0
WINNING PITCHER: Lemon (5 innings, 8 hits, 3 runs, 1 run, 1 earned, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts) Other: O’Shea
LOSING PITCHER: Hudik (2.2 innings, 1 hit, 4 runs, 0 earned, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk) Other: Manz
LEADING HITTERS: (Evergreen) Vance – double; Shrader – 2 singles; Herdman – 2 singles; (Swanton) Marlow – 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
