UPDATE: Due to rain over the weekend, the Lancers will play their District game on Monday, May 16 at LHS at 4 p.m.
Though the season started off a bit rough, the Lancers seem to peaking at just the right time as Districts approach. A offensive explosion that started on April 29 has led to the the the team winning ten of its last 12 games and scoring at least 12 runs in all ten victories. Amazingly, that streak didn’t include a game against Northwest that ended in a 17-17 tie due to darkness.
“It’s our on-deck approach. Coach (Scott) DeNoyer has us get our timing down in the on-deck circle,” junior Tyler Manne said.
And now the team is on the verge of history. With 243 runs scored this season, the Lancers are just one shy of the Lafayette single-season record of 244.
“It would be good to go down in history, that we could have that record,” junior Brock Behrndt said.
Leading the charge on offense has been senior Drew Gress (.436 and 19 RBI’s) and junior Will Dupont (.531 and 28 RBI’s). Seniors Ryan Mansfield, with 30 RBI’s, and Khalfani Mar’Na, who hit four home runs over a four-game stretch earlier this season, have also been heating up late.
“Playing games every day helps get the whole team in a rhythm,” Gress said.
With the added run support, the team’s pitching staff has performed equally well. As the ace, senior Drue Bravo is currently 6-1 with a 2.76 ERA (earned run average). His most dominating performance of the season was a complete game on April 21 against Marquette, in which he gave up just two hits and struck out five batters.
Bravo is scheduled to start the District opener against Washington on May 14. The first pitch is scheduled for noon at Lafayette.
