Without walking seven batters, maybe Notre Dame beats Lyndonville 3-0, Head Coach Mike Rapone said after the Fighting Irish lost to the Tigers 7-3 in a Section V Class D semifinal game at Dwyer Stadium.
Starter Tyler Stroud, normally in command of his pitches, struggled to get the ball over the plate and squandered an early lead. With only a couple of hits, the Irish saw their 3-0 lead slip to 3-2 and then disappear to a 4-3 deficit.
Two of those runs scored on a wild pitch and a passed ball after walks helped Lyndonville base runners advance to third.
"Walks, passed ball, ground out, and little by little we let them back into the game and we never got the momentum back," Rapone said.
Rapone praised the effort of Lyndonville but repeated, it was the walks that did in his team.
"Their pitcher threw a nice game," Rapone said. "He kept us off balance. We didn't hit the ball that well. I think if we didn't walk seven guys, the three runs might have been enough."
The Batavia Blue Devils beat Livonia today to advance to the Section V Class BB championship game in Geneva at 6 p.m., Friday against Pal-Mac. In the Class C final, Pavilion was eliminated by Bolivar-Richburg.
Top photo: Tommy Prospero scores in the first on a steal of home. The Tigers' catcher dropped the ball.
To purchase prints of photos from this game, click here.
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