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Health & Fitness

USM Undefeated in Conference After Defeating Dominican

The University School baseball team defeated Dominican 8-2 Thursday.

The University School baseball team completed its schedule of conference games with an undefeated 14-0 record by defeating Dominican 8-2 in a Midwest Classic Conference North contest held at USM Thursday.  The Wildcats’ starting pitcher Lane Stanford gave up 1 run, 2 hits, and 3 walks while striking out 9 Dominican batters in five innings to lead USM to victory.

The game was Dominican’s home game, but scheduling conflicts put the game at USM.  The situation did not faze the Wildcats. They scored all the runs they would need for the win in the top of the first inning.  USM’s leading hitter, Josh Baker, started the two-out rally by drawing a walk off of Dominican’s starter, Chris Schwartz. Baker stole second and raced home when Tommy Pennington lined a single to right.  Pennington adroitly took second on the throw in.  Billy Lawton then doubled to deep right center to drive in Pennington, and Lawton scored when Nathan Burke followed with another double.

USM made the score 4-0 in the top of the fourth inning.  Burke led off with a walk.  Jack Wells dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt down the third base line that allowed Burke to sprint all the way to third base on the play. Duncan Brown then doubled down the line to left to score Burke.

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Stanford, meanwhile, held the Knights scoreless until the bottom of the fourth.  With two out, Jack Jelacic singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  He later raced home on a passed ball.

The Wildcats scored another run for themselves in the top of the fifth.  Baker led off with a walk.  He proceeded to second on a wild pitch and to third on a passed ball.  He then scored on Pennington’s sacrifice fly to center.

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Stanford shut Dominican down in the bottom of the fifth, and Pennington did the same in relief in the bottom of the sixth.

USM then scored three more runs in the top of the seventh. Pinch hitter Jake Watton led the inning off with a walk.  With one out, Baker singled.  After another out, Lawton drilled a shot to the deepest part of centerfield for a two-run triple.  Burke then singled to drive in Lawton. Jesse Bell ran for Burke, and pinch hitter Paul Shimshak followed with a single, but their efforts could not add another run to USM’s 8-1 lead.

The Knights got one more run in their last at bats, but it was too little to late as USM added another victory to its string of twenty straight wins.

In the game Stanford’s strong outing on the mound earned him the win.  Schwartz took the loss.  Baker was 2 for 2 for the Wildcats with three runs scored.  Burke was also 2 for 2 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.  Lawton was the day’s power hitter.  He went 2 for 4 with a double and a triple that produced 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored

Dominican is now 9-8 and with a final conference record of 7-7. 

USM takes its 20-0 record into its four remaining regular season games, all of them at home and all of them against non-conference foes.  The Wildcats host Hartford Union High School in a doubleheader beginning at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.  They then play Burlington Catholic Central at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Martin Luther at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, and Germantown at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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