Southpaw Jaeden Lester fanned 17 batters in a complete-game effort Tuesday night as the Warriors stifled regional foe James Monroe 4-0 in New Richmond.
Coming off a win over Westside on Saturday where Maverick ace Kadyn Hines fanned 19 in a no-hit effort, James Monroe found itself on the opposite side of a gem, watching its best scoring opportunity of the night fade in the first inning while also getting a taste of what the night would hold.
Allowing a single and a walk to put the first two batters of the night on, Lester locked in and retired nine of the next 10 batters via strikeout.
“Refocusing kind of helped me clear my mind,” Lester said. “Just maybe lock down and try to throw strikes and get everything over.”
Throwing strikes never seemed to be a problem for Lester who allowed just five base runners on the night with only two of them coming via a free pass. Only two others came via a hit.
“It’s tough sometimes,” James Monroe head coach Tom Gardinier said. “We haven’t seen a left-hander all year and not that that’s an excuse or anything, but he’s a pretty good pitcher. He’s probably one of the best left handers that we’ll see for the majority of the season. I told my kids yesterday and on the way over here, ‘We’re about to find out who the alpha dog is in the region,’ and right now, Wyoming East is it. Westside’s good, we’re pretty good. Summers (County) is good – we’re all pretty good. But somebody’s gotta take control and we just I mean, he pitched a heck of a game.”
The Mavericks got a respectable outing of their own from Carson Koen but the second time around the order the heart of East’s lineup put the ball in play consistently, finding the gaps in the Maverick defense.
Zach Hunt struck first, notching a one-out single in the fourth followed by a double from Miken Smyth to put a pair in scoring position for East. No. 5 hitter Gaige Cooper then broke the scoreless tie in the fourth with an RBI fielder’s choice where Hunt beat the tag at the plate.
Dylan Golden followed with a sac fly to plate Smyth.
In the fifth inning it was the same cast doing damage. With two on and two out, Smyth crushed his second double of the night, plating Lester and Hunt to double the lead and cap the scoring.
“Miken’s been hitting the ball good all year,” East head coach Kevin Hedinger said. “I believe we take more fastballs than anyone in the state. We’re trying to get hem to swing at fastballs early and usually that works out for us. I’m proud of the wya they scrapped and got a couple big hits.
“I thought Cooper had a really good at-bat after the first wasn’t very good and h made some contact. Really thats why we scored that first run, just putting the ball in play. Good things happen when you put the ball in play. ”
Four runs proved more than enough for Lester who mowed through the lineup with a defense that committed just one error when the ball was out in play.
“He pitched against Scott but he was just a little bit off,” Hedinger said. “He was struggling a little bit with his fastball but he got that across tonight which really sets up his other pitches. If he can throw that fastball he’s got a good changeup and good slider. He was really solid tonight.”
Koen and Baylee Ridgeway collected James Monroe’s lone hits of the evening.
Smyth led East going 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles and two RBI while Cooper and Golden collected an RBI each. One Biggs was the only other Warrior with two hits.
