High school baseball: Midview's Benjamin Szczepanski shuts out Lorain

LORAIN — Benjamin Szczepanski and Midview barely beat the rain. They dominated Lorain. In a game that had approximately 90 minutes of rain delays, the Middies beat the Titans 13-0 Wednesday night on the back of their junior right-hander. Szczepanski threw a six-inning shutout with nine strikeouts, three hits allowed and a walk. "It was a struggle at first, I was fighting my command," Szczepanski said. "Once I started to get my offspeed pitches to land, that was that." He was efficient, throwing 54 of his 90 pitches for strikes. "He competed and he threw strikes," Midview coach Ryan Feierabend said. "We haven't had a whole lot of competitive pitching lately, but tonight Ben was just a difference-maker out there." Midview (2-4) got the scoring started early as junior Jake Ellis drove home senior Kaiden Vogelpohl with a single the other way. Lorain had something going in the bottom of the second, but senior catcher Brayden Widenmeyer threw out a would-be base stealer at second base. On the same play, the runner on third broke for home but was erased by a beautiful throw and catch from junior shortstop Luke Jockel to Widenmeyer. A huge top of the second in which Midview pushed across five runs propelled the game into a blowout. Freshman Kellen DeSimone, Vogelpohl, Jockel and Ellis drove in runs during the inning. Midview then blew the game wide open in the sixth as it scored seven more runs, with the big blow a bases-clearing double by Widenmeyer. The game was called due to the run rule after the sixth inning. In what was a disaster for Lorain pitchers, not one of the 13 runs was earned. The Titans committed seven errors, which has plagued them all season. "A lot of our errors came from the third base spot," said Lorain coach Brad Ternes. "With Ian being our normal third baseman, we have to find someone who can make the plays at third while he is on the mound." Sophomore Ian Romero Tolentino was the starting pitcher for the Titans, and the righty went 5 2/3 innings, allowing 10 unearned runs, four hits, three walks and two strikeouts. "Our pitcher did a great job, kept his composure throughout the entire game, despite all of the mistakes," Ternes said. Freshman Giovanni Aybar, junior Breycin Jackson and Romero Tolentino had hits for Lorain. As for Midview, every player in the starting lineup scored. Vogelpohl and Ellis had multihit efforts, with Ellis and senior Damien Presser driving in three runs apiece. The loss dropped Lorain to 1-7. Midview will host Hudson on Saturday for a non-conference doubleheader.