JH Lions (1-3) Rally Late to Beat Providence Classical, 6-2

Associated Press - Wire Feed

The junior high baseball season may have started slowly but the LPCA Lions roared to a late-inning rally Thursday night to beat Providence Classical, 6–2, for their first victory of the season. Down 2–0 after one inning, the Lions relied on strong relief pitching from Brock Belanger (1–1) and Collin Dyniewski to shut down the Providence Classical lineup for the remainder of the game. The lockdown bullpen performance was complimented by clutch hitting from Mason Kolar (1–2, 2 runs scored), Easton Havemann (2–2, 2 RBI) and BJ Fornero (1–3, 1 RBI) as the Lions shined late under the ballpark lights.

The visiting Lions mounted little threat in the first inning as the lineup went down in order though Mason Kolar, a key free-agent signing this offseason, was robbed of certain extra bases by a diving catch in the right field gap. The bottom of the first inning did not go Legacy’s way either as Providence took advantage of a fielding error and several base-on-balls to quickly score two runs. Veteran starter, Easton Havemann, had good velocity but struggled with his command and pitching coach Brandon Belanger made an early call to the bullpen that changed the momentum of the game.

With one out and the bases loaded, Brock Belanger was called on to put out the early Providence fire and he did not disappoint. Brock got the Legacy crowd rocking with back-to-back strikeouts to end the Providence rally and keep the game close, 2–0. The standoff continued for the next three innings as Brock (3.2 IP, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 ER) combined overpowering velocity with crafty pick-off plays to prevent any further Providence damage on the scoreboard.

Offensively, the first three innings through the Legacy lineup did not produce many paws-itive results. However, much like Israelites marching around Jericho, the Lions’ persistence eventually paid off in the top of the fourth inning. A one-out single from Mason Kolar followed by an Easton Havemann walk gave Legacy its first big threat on the base paths. A few stolen bases and a wild pitch resulted in Mason scoring the first Lions run with Easton representing the tying run at second base. Seizing the importance of the moment, BJ Fornero showed exactly why he is a professional hitter by working back from a 1–2 count to fight off a 3–2 pitch for a game-tying bloop single that knotted the score 2–2 after four innings.

Presented with a tie game and dominate relief pitching, coach Brandon Belanger huddled the Lions together for an inspirational pep talk as the fifth inning began. The encouragement certainly put some pep in Caleb Lightfoot’s step as he worked a leadoff walk and stole his way to third base. Following a walk to Jaime Jones, Brock Belanger helped himself with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Caleb and pushed Legacy ahead 3–2. A Collin Dyniewski single along with a Mason Kolar hit-by-pitch loaded the bases as Easton Havemann stepped into the batter’s box with the perfect opportunity to blow the game wide open. Summoning a confidence forged by years of professional baseball experience, Easton laced a 1–1 pitch down the right field line that scored both Jaime and Collin to push Legacy’s lead to 5–2. Mason Kolar later scored on a wild pitch to give Legacy a 6–2 cushion heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Any remaining hope that Providence had for a comeback was short lived as Metallica’s Enter Sandman blared over the loudspeakers while Collin Dyniewski completed his warm-up pitches in relief of Brock Belanger. Exhibiting the command of a young Greg Maddux, Collin (1 IP, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 ER) expertly induced two weak ground outs before ending the game on a called third strike against Providence’s lead off hitter. The patience, persistence and pride of the JH Legacy Lions spilled out from the dugout into the stands as the team celebrated its first victory of the young 2017 season!

The JH Lions will enjoy a well-deserved Spring Break next week but return to action with a home game verses Rosehill Christian on March 20. Stay tuned for more Lions baseball and be sure to get out to the ballpark to see the Lions in action!

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LINEUP NOTE: The starting lineup vs Providence Classical included Brock Belanger (ss), Collin Dyniewski (cf), Mason Kolar (1b), Easton Havemann (p), Sam Chester (c), BJ Fornero (3b), Louie Green (2b), Caleb Lightfoot (lf) and Matt Foust (rf) however the lineup changes from game to game. Legacy also features a deep dugout of talent including Jaime Jones, Andrew Wright, Michael Carlson, Aiden Cronan, Tucker Carson, Saide Micheletti, Carson Lagunas, Luke Henson, Jayden Staab, Caleb Goza and Sam Harrison.