Lakeshore takes Game 1 from Iowa in quarterfinals
Published 1:01 am Friday, May 3, 2024
WESTLAKE — The rematch of last year’s nonselect Division II baseball state championship game went extra innings Thursday night as No. 20 Lakeshore beat No. 12 Iowa 7-5 in nine innings.
Game 2 of the best-of-3 quarterfinals series will be Saturday at 11 a.m. If necessary, Game 3 will start at 1:30 p.m.
The Titans broke a 2-2 tie with five runs in the top of the ninth inning. They quickly loaded the bases on a single, error and a walk. Mason Maldonado hit a RBI single to left field for the go-ahead run and an error on the same play allowed another run to cross the plate. Reese Sanzone gave Lakeshore plenty of breathing room with a two-run triple.
Iowa (20-12) attempted a two-out comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning and cut Lakeshore’s (17-19) lead to two on Tyler Dartez’s bases-clearing double, but Mason Gegenheimer induced a ground out to end the game.
Iowa forced extra innings when Reed Dupre hit a one-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, but the Yellow Jackets left a runner on second and third base.
The Yellow Jackets left a runner on third again in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cole Corbello led off by drawing a base on balls, then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and ground out before Titan starting pitcher Owen Guth got a ground out to end the threat.
Guth pitched eight innings to earn the win before being relieved by Mason Gegenheimer in the ninth inning. He allowed two earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts and five walks.
Dupre took the loss in relief, allowing five runs, three earned, on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. Corbello started on the mound for Iowa and allowed one earned run in seven innings with four strikeouts and four walks.