HEBRON ? In an earlier loss to Zanesville, Owen Przymierski threw seven no-hit innings, only to see Newark Catholic fall 1-0 in the eighth.
The junior lefthander was his usual stellar self on April 25. But this time, the Green Wave gave him plenty of breathing room.
NC (7-5, 4-5) showed it may be a different team in the second half of the season. After losing to Lakewood 5-1 in the Licking County League-Cardinal Division opener, they turned the tables with a 6-0 win featuring not only a three-hit, 10-strikeout performance from their ace, but a 9-hit attack against the first-place Lancers.
"We lost two to them last year and one this season, so it was really important to beat them," said Przymierski. "They had not been shut out all year, so there was no way I wasn't going back out there for that last inning," he said.
He was able to lower his already microscopic 0.50 ERA despite throwing 119 pitches in a complete game and struck out the side as the rain, which had been off and on throughout the game, started to fall harder.
"He pitched a very good game and did a phenomenal job," said Lakewood coach Chuck Davis. "When we did hit a ball hard, it did not fall."
His Lancers (10-3, 7-2) had a six-game winning streak snapped, enabling Heath (8-3, 6-2) to tie them in the loss column.
Shutout for six innings by sophomore Carter Davis in the earlier loss, NC scored the only run it would need off him in the first when Kane Stephey had a leadoff single, stole second and scored when Mikey Hess ripped a double into the right-center field gap.
They added on in the second. Przymierski walked, pinch runner Henry Hitchens was bunted to second by Max Moore and went to third on a groundout before scoring on a two-out error for a 2-0 lead.
Alex Nagel, one of five sophomores in the starting lineup, delivered the clutch hit the Green Wave had been lacking with two outs in the fourth, ripping a two-run single to center. It scored Przymierski and Jaxon Holman, pushing the lead to 4-0.
"I had been struggling at the plate," Nagel said. "I just wanted to hit something hard and see how things go. It was huge. We knew it would be a close game against Carter (Davis), and it gave us a lot of momentum. We really owed Owen. He's been fantastic this year, and we lost some games because we didn't hit the ball."
Coach Ron Graves said Nagel was due.
"That was big, and he needed it," Graves said. "He's been hitting some good balls, but in practice, we've been working on swinging through the ball and not dipping under it."
Senior Miller Hutchison capped the win with a big moment in the sixth, lofting his first career home run over the right field fence with classmate Hess aboard, thanks to his second double.
"We talk daily about if we just hit the ball better, we can beat anyone," Przymierski said. "We just haven't proven it much yet."
Observed Chuck Davis: "They really smoked some balls. A lot of those pitches were up. Carter (Davis) just did not have his typical command. Today was not his day."
He went the first four innings, allowing just one earned run, but walking six to go with four strikeouts on 89 pitches.
"He had seven strikeouts against us last time, and today, we hit the ball, moved the ball well and did not strike out as much," Graves said. "Owen was on point again, and when he throws strikes, it brings confidence to our defense, and it transfers to the offense."
Said Przymierski: "I hammered the zone with them and made them swing. The first time against them, we walked four and hit four. So it was about not giving up free stuff."
He walked three, including Carter Anderson and Stephen Slocum in the sixth, after Colton Ferry singled. But Davis bounced hard into a forceout at third, ending the Lancers' only real threat of the game. Freshman Ethan Moore had the other two hits.
"It's all about seeing how we respond to this one," said Coach Davis, whose team hosts Heath in a showdown for first on Monday, then plays at Licking Valley, tied for the Buckeye lead, on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, NC will see if it can build some momentum for a Division VII tournament run.
"The first half was a learning curve for a lot of them. It was the first time they had played varsity, and it's a different speed," Graves said. "We're hungry, and we're starting to put the bat on the ball."
Another sophomore, Jack Gossett, added two hits for the Green Wave.
"This gives us a lot of confidence," Nagel said. "We're bonding as a team, playing as a team. We want to let everyone know that we're coming for them."
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