Wikel leads SMCC to dominant River win

SANDUSKY — Cayden Wikel never let Lakota get going. The St. Mary Central Catholic junior pitcher didn't put the Raiders down in order in any of the five innings, but also limited what they could do. Wikel gave up five hits, walked just one and helped the Panthers roll to a 12-0 Sandusky Bay Conference River Division win Monday at Dorn Park. "I've been giving up hits, but walks have been my big struggle," Wikel said. "Limiting walks was what I was trying to focus on today." Wikel helped his own cause at the plate, too. He roped a two-run double in the first inning for a quick lead. When SMCC (9-4, 7-1 SBC River) put up 10 runs in the third inning, he walked, tallied a RBI single and scored twice in the frame. "Lakota is always a really good team," Panthers coach Ryan Myers said. "To be able to get our entire roster into the game today in a five-inning game was a great feeling." Blake Finneran scrambled to third on an error in right field in the bottom of the first inning. Sam Lawrence walked and stole second before Wikel's poke into the gap to put SMCC up 2-0. He cruised along on the mound while the Panthers blew the game open in the third. Wikel walked before Cullen Dillard doubled to the wall. A groundout by Grant Swain scored a run, putting SMCC up 3-0. Adam Burch then hit a ball back to Lakota (9-6, 7-3) pitcher Hunter Sweeney. It got Dillard in a rundown, but instead of running toward Dillard, Sweeney lofted a throw to his third baseman. That allowed Dillard to break for home and score easily. The floodgates opened from there. Leo Will singled, Benny Byington roped a run-scoring single to make it 5-0 and Rylan Wikel walked to end Sweeney's day on the mound. A wild pitch from reliever Izrael Smith scored a run. Finneran then walked to load the bases before Lawrence also drew a walk, bringing in a run. Wikel followed with a RBI single to make it 8-0. After a strikeout, Swain reached on an infield error by the Raiders, pushing the lead to 9-0. Burch then blooped a two-run single into a strong wind. Will followed with a RBI single on the next pitch, giving SMCC a 12-0 lead. "We've been able to take a lot of advantage of having runners on bases," Myers said. "That's one of our strong suits. We work on that a lot in practice. That's something where we're executing on things we practice on off days." The biggest trouble Wikel got into was in the fifth inning. Smith and Jacob Hines each singled for Lakota. They moved up a base on a wild pitch, but it didn't faze Wikel. Dillard fielded a grounder at shortstop off the bat of Grant Scherger. The typical play would be a quick throw to first to ensure an out as a run scored. Instead, Dillard looked Smith back at third before the rocket to first for the out. Although small in detail, it kept Wikel's shutout intact. "That was great. I was telling him to watch home," Wikel said. "I'm grateful for him. He's great." Wikel tallied his sixth and final strikeout of the night to finish off the win. "The emphasis was getting ahead early in counts," Myers said. "I thought we were able to do that. Any time Cayden pitches, we have a chance to win. When we're providing run support and not leaving runners on second and third, we're a tough team to beat." Wikel needed 78 pitches to get through the game. Myers said he felt comfortable leaving Wikel in despite a busy week ahead. "He was in a groove," Myers said. "It won't be long before you see Cayden on the mound again. Every time he pitches, he gives us a chance to win. When you're competing for a league championship, you want to give the best teams the best shot. We're playing our best ball right now and continuing to improve." The Panthers said goodbye to their home park for the rest of the week. SMCC is scheduled to head to Margaretta on Tuesday, Northwood on Wednesday, Cardinal Stritch on Thursday and Division VII No. 1 Tiffin Calvert on Friday. Myers said while it'll be plenty of time on a bus over the next few days, the team is embracing the challenge with a league title on the mind. "The guys are definitely up for the challenge," Myers said. "I think the guys are on a different level of focus at this time. That's something we've really wanted to at this point in the year. When May rolls around, you want your best focus. You want to your players to stay on a different level." Lakota 000 00 — 0 5 3 SMCC 20(10) 0x — 12 8 0 WP: Wikel. LP: Sweeney. 2B: (SMCC) Wikel, Dillard