It took Strongsville a few innings to warm the bats up in the 40-degree afternoon, but when all was said and done, the Mustangs, coached by Josh Sorge, showed why they are ranked No. 2 in the state of Ohio in Division I varsity baseball.
Behind masterful pitching by southpaw Connor Ryan and closer Pat McEvoy along with solid defense, and bats that wouldn't stop, the Mustangs treated the crowd to a 12-1 victory in their first home game of the season.
The Rangers got things started in the top of the first inning with a two-out single by Grant Graves followed by a Rivera single and a Ryan Carpenter walk to load the bases. Lakewood's lone run of the game came on a bases-loaded passed ball allowing Graves to score from third.
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The Mustangs tied things up in the bottom of the second inning as senior Austin Legate reached base on an error and went to second as Kory Hall got hit by a pitch. Then Legate stole third and scored on a fielders choice by Forrest Perron. They were all tied up, one apiece, heading into the third.
The Rangers tried to get something going in the third, but with one out and a runner on first, it was Mustang time to flash the leather. Brennan Singleton, Anthony Morino and Colin Houdek turned a picture perfect 5-4-3 double play to get out of the inning.
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The Mustangs in the third had a walk and three hits including RBI singles from Justin Jakubik and Austin Legate to put the Mustangs on top 3-1.
In the fourth, the Rangers had a two-out single by Alex Antel, but two swinging strikeouts tossed by Ryan left Antel stranded at first.
The Mustangs sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, which included three singles, three stolen bases (two by Morino), and produced 2 more Mustang runs.
The fifth inning saw Lakewood go three up-three down, which ended the afternoon's pitching chores for junior Connor Ryan. Ryan ended his work day with four strikeouts against three walks, giving up three hits and no earned runs.
For the third inning in a row, the 'Stangs tallied two more runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth, going up 7-1.
Senior McEvoy came on in relief for the Mustangs. While McEvoy did give up a single to Graves, he was aided by another Singleton to Morino to Houdek double play, the second of the game by the trio, to end the inning.
The bottom of the sixth might still be going on if not for the help of the 10-run mercy rule. Both Singleton and Jakubik each reached base on Ranger errors to start the inning. Austin Legate then started the "hit parade" with the shot of the day, a double down the left field line. That was followed by a Brian Genco single, Nolan Schultz walk, and singles by Perron and Morino. Morino's stroke up the middle was the straw that broke the Rangers' back as Genco and Schultz both scored, ending the game. The final score was Strongsville 12, Lakewood 1.
It took an inning or two, but once the Mustangs got things heated up, there was no stopping them. Offensively, they finished the game with 12 runs on 13 hits and 9 stolen bases. There's no place like home! Coach Sorge's boys are nowand sit alone at the top of the conference with a 3-0 mark.
The Mustangs travel to Lakewood on Wednesday, April 13, and will take on St. Ignatius and Cardinal Mooney over the weekend. The next home game for the green and white will be Wednesday, April 20 when they take on the Brunswick Blue Devils. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.