Bremen takes non-conference win
BREMEN — The Lions hosted Central Noble on Monday afternoon and picked up a 10-6 win, moving to 13-2 with the non-conference victory. Pitchers Casey Ton, Liam Ullery, and Aiden Alvarado combined to allow only three earned runs. DH Zack Buszkiewicz was on base four times and scored in all four trips around the bases.
Ton started for the Lions and threw two scoreless innings on 28 pitches. Ullery – making his varsity debut – took the ball in the 3rd and put up two more zeroes before running into trouble in the 5th. On offense, Bremen struck first. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the first, Zack Buszkiewicz and Aiden Alvarado were both hit by pitches (the teams combined for 10 in this game…) to open the second. A bunt single from Max Barnes set up back-to-back two-run singles from Jack Wildauer and Landon Bates to make it 4-0 Lions after two.
Ullery worked a quick top of the 3rd, getting three outs on six pitches and grabbing momentum for the home team. JJ Cencelewski led off the bottom of the inning with a double. Buszkiewicz and Alvarado were both hit by pitch again, loading the bases for the bottom part of the order. Max Barnes hit a sac fly to right, and Jack Wildauer got down a bunt hit to push the lead to 6-0. In the 4th, Ullery gave up a lead off single but induced a 4-6-3 double play in a 3-2 count to erase the baserunner.
Bremen extended the lead in the 4th; Buszkiewicz doubled in courtesy runner Maddux Hickman, Cencelewski scored on a ground out from Alvarado, and Buzkiewicz came in on a fielding error off the bat of Barnes. The Lions took a 9-0 lead to the 5th. Unfortunately, the Bremen defense faltered behind its pitcher, committing two errors and throwing the ball around. A handful of walks and wild pitches added to the mess, and allowed Central Noble to cut the score to 9-4.
Bremen got runners on 1st and 2nd for the top of the order but failed to cash in during the bottom half. Aiden Alvarado came on to pitch the last two innings. He worked a quick top of the 6th, needing only 8 pitches to get the three outs. The Lions got another run in the 6th when Buszkiewicz got on and came around on a series of balks and passed balls. Central Noble attempted a final rally in the seventh, getting two runs in before making two outs on the bases to end the game.
With the win, Bremen is now 13-2 on the season. For the fifth time, Ton was the pitcher of record for the win. Ullery went three innings and only allowed one earned run in his varsity debut. Though the Lions comitted four more defensive errors, they were able to take control early with nine runs in the first three innings. They will travel to South Central on Tuesday for a non-conference matchup.
•BREMEN 10, CENTRAL NOBLE 6
at Bremen
Hitters
DH Zack Buszkiewicz: 1-1, 2B, 4 R, RBI, 2 HBP, BB
RF Jack Wildauer: 2-4, R, 3 RBI
LF JJ Cencelewski: 1-3, 2B, 2 R, BB
1B Landon Bates: 1-3, 2 RBI
Pitchers
SP Casey Ton: 2.0 IP, W, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB 2 K
RP Liam Ullery: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 2 K
RP/SS Aiden Alvarado: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K // 0-2, R, RBI, 2 HBP
JV played at Culver Academy and fell 15-11 for their first loss of the season. Hernan Mejia, Aaron Jimenez, and Gus Meert all had multiple hits for the Lions. Mejia drove in four runs in the contest. JV will be back in action Wednesday at Central Noble.
