Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Cam Miller couldn’t take advantage of a bases loaded situation in the seventh inning after Solon let a late lead slip away in game one of its WAMAC doubleheader with rival Mount Vernon on Monday.

Miller more than made up for his missed opportunity in the night cap.

The junior right-hander struck out 13 in a complete game three-hitter as Class 3A No. 6 Solon salvaged a doubleheader split with a 4-1 win in the nightcap.

“We definitely let that first game get away, I had a great opportunity at the plate in the last inning and I missed it,” Miller said. “I just used that to motivate me into the second game.

Mount Vernon (3-3, 2-2 WAMAC) got two-run singles from Jack Kragenbrink and Tyler Elliott in a four-run seventh inning that gave the Mustangs a 5-2 lead in the opener.

Solon (6-2, 3-1) cut the lead to 5-3 and had the bases loaded and no outs with the top of its order up but Miller popped out and Adam Bock bounced into a double play to end the game.

The Spartans left the bases loaded three times in the opener while wasting a strong outing by junior Lucas Walker.

“Walker threw a great game and he deserved a win,” Solon coach Keith McSweeney said. “He got a little tired at the end and that’s on me but the difference was when they had guys in scoring position or even on base they scored them. I don’t think they had more than five or six guys on base but they scored them.”

Miller made sure the loss didn’t linger for Solon in the nightcap.

He allowed just a pair of infield singles through the first six innings before Elliott led off the seventh with a solo home run off the foul pole in left field.

“He’s just a competitor and he brings a toughness to our team, he and Adam Bock, and we need more of that,” McSweeney said of Miller. “We need some other guys to demonstrate that toughness too.”

Miller struck out the side in the first inning after allowing an infield single to leadoff hitter Blake Booth, one of four innings with at least two strikeouts.

Miller retired 10 straight following the leadoff single by Booth, six via strikeout, before Elliott reached on an infield single with one out in the fourth inning.

“I was mixing in my curveball and slider with my fastball,” Miller said. “Early in the game I was just trying to get my fastball going, just trying to locate for some strikes and after that I kind of settled in and threw some of my off-speed stuff and that helped.”

As the game went on Miller got stronger.

He struck out two and caught a short pop up in the fifth before striking out the side in the sixth and fanning two more in the seventh.

“I’m a little nervous in the first inning and then I kind of settle in and my arm just keeps getting stronger,” Miller said. “I don’t know why that happens but I just seem to get better as the team goes on.”

After his complete game performance on Monday Miller has now allowed one run on five hits in 20 2/3 innings this season while striking out 41.

“I feel good,” Miller said. “I’ve gotten bigger and stronger, I’ve worked this offseason and I think it’s helped a lot.”

Miller also went 2-for-4 at the plate in the nightcap and gave the Spartans a boost late with an RBI double to right center field in the sixth inning.

“He’s hitting it well and he’s up there with an aggressive mentality,” McSweeney said. “That’s what we have to get going in the other part of the order is guys getting up there and trying to drive the baseball.”

Solon scratched across two runs in the third inning to give Miller all the support he would need.

Miller led off with an infield single and courtesy runner Nico Longo stole second and scored on a throwing error.

Cole Arduser wwalked and later scored on an RBI single by Nolan Pattison.

The Spartans got a run without a hit in the fifth when Jax Flynn walked and later scored on an error.

Solon finished with six hits in each game of the doubleheader.

“We have to get tougher,” McSweeney said. “We have to match our pitchers’ toughness at the plate and it’s just about guys grinding out some at bats.”

Game 1

Mount Vernon           000   001  4  –  5  5  0

Solon                        100   100  1  –  3  6  0

L – Lucas Walker

Game 2

Mount Vernon           000  000  1  –  1  3  3

Solon                        002  011  x  –  4  6  1

W – Cam Miller          L – Matt Martin

2B – SOL: Cam Miller

HR – MV: Tyler Elliott  

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