Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — If you looked into the crowd after Thursday’s final out was recorded, it was clear how much the moment meant Lynchburg-Clay’s community.
Amongst a sea of Mustang faithful who made the over two-hour drive, there wasn’t a dry eye in the stands, or on the field.
Those emotions were 28 years in the making as Lynchburg (21-3) exacted sweet revenge with a 3-2 victory over Portsmouth in a Division V district final — the program’s first district crown since 1997.
“Lynchburg is a very special place, and I know it means a lot to the community. But the tears shed from me were all about how hard these guys have worked and seeing it all come to fruition,” Lynchburg-Clay coach James Flowers said. “[Assistant coach] Aric Fiscus was the head coach of that 1997 team and he talks a lot about how comparable that team and this team are. This is the second district title in school history. These boys have set very high goals for themselves and I couldn’t be happier for them.”
CREDIT: Levi Hughes/SOSA
It was the Trojans (18-8) who knocked off the Mustangs last season to win their first district title since 1998. So it was only fitting that the roles were reversed this time around.
“This is such a speechless and surreal moment, I don’t know what else to say,” Flowers said. But huge credit to [Portsmouth coach] Aaron [Duncan]. He runs a great program and does things not just the right way, but in a first-class manner as well. They’re a great team and I’m sure we’ll continue finding one another come tournament time for years to come.”
Game tape
The Mustangs worked back-to-back walks in the second inning, and each runner advanced a base off a failed pickoff attempt. That set the stage for Cody Bell, who delivered a two-run single into right field, putting the Mustangs ahead 2-0.
“Originally, I was going to bunt. But Portsmouth was playing in, so that strategy went out of the door,” Bell said. “I knew the play was going to be at home, since there was one out. So my goal was to hit it over the infield to get both runners in. It didn’t need to be anything hard, just enough to get past the infield and that’s what I did.”
Portsmouth managed to load the bases in the top of the third, and got a run back off a sacrifice fly from Trevin Brooks to bring the deficit to 2-1.
After a pair of scoreless innings, the Mustangs got a much-needed insurance run in the bottom of sixth.
Following a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt to move a runner over, Portsmouth committed a throwing error that scored the runner, extending LC’s lead to 3-1.
PHOTOS: Images from Lynchburg-Clay’s district title win over Portsmouth
The Trojans weren’t going down without a fight, though.
With two runners on, after a pair of singles, Brooks found a gap through the left side for an RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2.
However, the night belonged to the Mustangs as a strikeout ended the game, breaking a 28-year streak.
“This is such a huge relief off of our shoulders, especially after being on the losing side in a district title game to them last season,” Bell said. “We’ve been hounding ourselves since day one about getting better to try and win a district title. Portsmouth put up a great fight and they deserve props for that. But we had some timely hitting and got the win.”
Battle of the aces
In the biggest game of both teams’ seasons, they trotted out their aces and each put forth excellent performances.
Portsmouth’s Leeland Scurlock faced little trouble throughout the night, allowing just two earned runs on three hits alongside four strikeouts.
Any other time that Scurlock takes the hill with that type of performance, it’s a near guaranteed victory.
However, Cole Wells was just as masterful.
“Any kid who aspires to be great, I’d recommend they watch Cole Wells when the lights aren’t shining and nobody is watching,” Flowers said. “I told him during a mound visit in the seventh to go take what is his, and he delivered the way he had all season. You couldn’t ask for more from a player. He gets every team’s best shot, and Portsmouth gave him a run for his money. But he wanted it more.”
Portsmouth did tag Wells for seven hits and he gave up his first earned run of the season. But the senior showcased why he’s among the state’s elite.
He ran into a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, but managed to notch a strikeout that ended that threat. The same problem came in the seventh with two runners on. But he got another strikeout looking that secured the win.
He went the distance on the mound, allowing two earned runs and striking out 12 batters.
“Portsmouth is a great hitting team, and I made the mistake of leaving a lot of pitches over the plate the whole game,” Wells said. “My curveball was really working well, which was a great thing since I was having some trouble locating the ball. But I found out quickly that I was getting some outside calls, so that’s where I was mainly aiming.”
Stat book
Following Wells’ performance on the bump, Bell finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs for the Mustangs. Meanwhile, for the Trojans, after Scurlock’s pitching line, Brooks finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
What’s next
As Portsmouth’s season comes to an end, Lynchburg-Clay moves into a Division V regional semifinal against the winner of Minford and Ironton.
That game will happen at 5 p.m., Wednesday at Marietta College.
SPONSORED BY WILLIS-CLARK AGENCY
