By: Joe Blystone
TOLEDO – The aura of playing in a stadium that seats 10,000 plus fans left both Stryker and Fayette wide-eyed in the beginning, but it was the Panthers who settled in after falling behind 5-0 in the first, to claim at 12-6 win over the Eagles in a game played at Fifth Third Field.
Fayette took advantage of a trio of errors in the first to plate five unearned runs off the Panthers Daniel Donovan.
Braxton Jacob singled to start the game and one out later, Shane Maginn was hit by a pitch to put runner on first and second.
That’s when the threesome of miscues took place as a pair of infield errors along with a muffed fly ball to right brought home four Eagle runs with a balk forcing in the fifth.
“When they first walked out here, they were just in awe,” Stryker mentor Austin Nickells said. “To be in the stadium itself is a big moment. I’m pretty sure those big light moments had a few jitters in them.”
Stryker got three back in the top of the second. Wyatt Mitchell walked Mateo Villanueva to start the inning and Jacob Myers followed with a base hit.
Jacob Cadwell doubled up the right center field gap and Donovan’s base hit brought home Cadwell to chop the Eagle lead to two.
Fayette made it 6-3 in the bottom of the inning but could’ve had more. Jacob was hit by a pitch and with two down Skyler Lester took four balls to put two on.
With runners at second and third Caden Leininger tomahawked a single to left center to score Jacob, but Myers relay throw to the plate cut down Lester to keep the deficit at 6-3.
The Panthers scratched out a run on a walk, stolen base, balk and ground out in the third, then threw up a big six in the fourth to take control of the game.
With one down, Daniel Donovan doubled to right center, then with two out, William Donovan began the merry-go-round to the plate and around the bases with a run scoring single up the middle.
Gavin LaBo reached on an error, Devin Montague was hit by a pitch to juice the bases, then Lennon Capps drew a run-scoring base on balls to tie the game and end the night for Mitchell.
Villanueva greeted Maginn, who came in to relieve Mitchell, with a line drive single to right that drove home a pair and when the ball got away, Capps scored all the way from first to make it 9-6.
“We got a real big hit from Mateo,” Nickells exclaimed. “It’s huge for him because he has been struggling.”
“It’s his first year of playing high school baseball and I couldn’t be prouder of him. It was all this excitement in his eyes and it’s a moment every coach looks forward to.”
Villanueva finished the inning, coming home on a wild pitch to push the margin to 10-6. After the second, Daniel Donovan fired goose eggs at the Eagles, giving up four hits and striking out eight Fayette hitters in the last five frames.
“Daniel has been our lights out pitcher all year,” Nickells stated. “I can’t speak enough when I tell him he’s on the mound. He gets a different look in his eye, and he becomes locked in.”
Stryker added a little insurance in the seventh on a passed ball, a strikeout, a hit batter, William Donovan’s RBI single and a wild pitch before Maginn struck out the side, giving him four K’s for the inning.
Every player for both teams had a plate appearance at Fifth Third. “I hope the kids enjoyed the experience,” Nickells expressed.
“You get to see it on TV or come here to watch a game you don’t consider the opportunity to play here.”
“You just breathe it in and enjoy how nice of a venue it is. We all were lucky enough to be here.”
Donovan got the complete game win as he allowed just one earned run and struck out ten.
STRYKER 031 600 2 – 12 11 5
FAYETTE 510 000 0 – 6 7 3
Records: Stryker 6-12, Fayette 5-10
WINNING PITCHER: D. Donavan (7 innings, 7 hits, 6 runs, 1 earned, 10 strikeouts, 1 walk)
LOSING PITCHER: Mitchell (3.2 innings, 8 hits, 9 runs, 5 earned, 7 strikeouts, 5 walks) Other: Maginn
LEADING HITTERS: (Stryker) Cadwell – double, 2 RBIs; D. Donovan – double, 3 singles, RBI, 2 runs; W. Donovan – 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Villanueva – 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; (Fayette) Leininger – 2 singles, 3 RBIs; Brehm – 3 singles
Joe can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
