Gilmour vs. Waynedale baseball: Lancers lose district final, 2-1
May 25—Runs in the second and fourth saw Waynedale push its advantage over Gilmour in a D-III district final at Norwayne on May 25. The Lancers responded in the sixth with a ground ball by Mick Hopkins that brought one run across.
However, after finally getting on the scoreboard, Gilmour couldn't swing the momentum in their favor as Waynedale held on to win 2-1.
Waynedale next takes the diamond against Hawken on June 2 when the teams travel to Massillon for their regional semifinal.
The slow start for the Gilmour bats proved to be its undoing as the Lancers couldn't recover from a pair of runs brought across by Timmy Short. Gilmour coach John Murphy lamented his team not taking advantage of scoring opportunities.
"We left runners on base in every inning except the seventh," said Murphy. "Our guys battled today facing the same pitcher we saw in last year's district final. This year he was able to walk away with the win."
The Lancers' bats couldn't get to Trey Barkman, who struck out seven in a complete-game victory.
Gilmour pitcher Paddy Murphy did everything he could to keep the game close. The senior went six innings, gave up five hits and struck out four. The Lancers had a chance to get him in line for the win.
"We were aggressive in the seventh being down 2-1," said Murphy. "We didn't want to hold back and went after him. He struck out seven but they were scattered through all our hits. They were able to take advantage of their base runners. A ball was hit over the left fielder's head and an unexecuted bunt on our part gave them that lead. Paddy had a 22-inning scoreless streak and also came into the game sick. He left it all out there like everyone else and I am proud of the fight that our team put up."
Gilmour does bring back a lot of talent with just five seniors graduating and a plethora of underclassmen who contributed to this year's run. With the experience of last year's regional semifinal appearance and this year's run to a district final, Murphy knows they will have a chance to make another run next season.
"We play in the districts all the time and in the past 10 years we've reached the district five times," said Murphy. "We have a junior heavy class with nine players that all contribute. We're looking forward to the juniors and the other underclassmen being able to contribute as well. We have some sophomores that can play as well."
