Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Regina did everything it had to do to pull off an upset of rival Solon on Wednesday.

The Regals got a stellar start from senior Kyle Schooley, scraped together solid at bats and played nearly flawless defense.

The only thing the Regals didn’t do on Wednesday is one thing Class 3A sixth-ranked Solon has done best this season – finish.

Solon scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, all on two-out bases loaded walks, and rallied for a 4-3 win over Regina in a non-conference matchup in Solon.

“We are on the right side of a lot of one-run games and we’ve won four or five in the seventh inning,” Solon coach Keith McSweeney said. “That’s the sign of a good team that never quits, they don’t mail it in and we have guys that continue to clutch up.”

Solon never led until senior Ben Cusick drew the third consecutive bases loaded walk in the seventh inning that forced in Brady Jeworrek with the game-winning run.

The Spartans improved to 21-7 and completed the season sweep of the Regals with the win while Regina dropped to 10-11.

“It would be nice to celebrate this one because all but about four batters we earned it,” Regina coach Steve Pacha said. “We are trying to get these guys to understand that baseball is a funny sport.”

Regina didn’t have a hit in an 8-0 home loss to Solon back on May 26.

On Wednesday the Regals came within one out of pulling a remarkable turnaround.

“That’s why this one stings is because they are buying in and they did it right today,” Pacha said. “This is one of the best teams in 3A and they embarrassed us on our home field so for us to come to their field and put the product on the field today it shows how far we have come.”

Regina broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the sixth when cleanup hitter Cameron Lehman drew a leadoff walk and scored when Declan McCoy hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

The double play was the second of the game for the Spartans that came with the bases loaded and no outs.

Solon also escaped a first and third jam with one out in the seventh with a 6-4 double play.

“Our pitcher found his off speed after the first inning and then I thought we played really good defense,” McSweeney said. “We rolled a couple of double plays in the middle that took away runs and ended innings.”

Leading 2-1 Regina appeared to take control with an insurance run in the seventh when Ethan VanHarz led off with a walk, moved to third on a Levi Quinlan double and scored on a Danny Gavin sacrifice fly.

Lucas Moore got Jackson Ryan to strike out swinging to start the Solon seventh but the next three Spartans reached on an error, a hit by pitch and a singly by Jeworrek to load the bases with one out.

“To our guys’ credit we just kind of grinded,” McSweeney said. “Some of our guys weren’t seeing it today and that’s a credit to their pitcher but we were able to get him deep into counts even when we didn’t succeed and obviously that drives the pitch count up and when you can get the start out and get into the pen it’s a good thing.”

McCoy came on in relief and struck out Kinnick Pusteoska swinging but freshman Gehrig Christensen coaxed a walk to force in a run, fouling off a pair of 3-2 pitches before taking ball four.

Carson Shive and Cusick followed with RBI walks as Solon scored three runs in the seventh on just one hit.

“At the end it was just about seeing a strike,” McSweeney said. “Our hitters did what they had to do, they stayed disciplined.”

The finish spoiled a stellar start for Schooley who allowed just one run on eight hits while striking out three and walking one.

He struck out Cade Chapman swinging on a breaking ball to end the sixth inning with a runner on third.

“He wanted this one,” Pacha said. “He really wanted this one and I told our guys if we could just get a couple that is all he was going to need and he did the job.”

Jeworrek had three hits for Solon while Turner had two hits and an RBI and Chapman had a pair of hits.

VanHarz scored two runs for Regina while Quinlan went 3-for-4 with a double and Gavin had a hit and an RBI.

Regina                        100  001  1  –  3  8  1

Solon                          010  000  3  –  4  9  1

W – Austin Schwake              L – Lucas Moore

2B – SOL: Brady Jeworrek. ICR: Levi Quinlan

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