WEST POINT — After losing six straight, West Point High returned to the baseball win column in resounding fashion Tusesday night.
Behind the complete-game effort of starting pitcher Tez Lane, the Green Wave knocked off New Hope, 3-2.
Lane, who finished the night with 14 punch-outs, nearly threw a shutout, but the Trojans had other plans.
Heading into the top of the seventh inning, Lane had dominated and held New Hope scoreless. After a lead-off strikeout against opposing pitcher, Landon Boyd, the Trojans put together a few hits and drew a couple of walks to make things interesting.
With two runs already across, the game was down to two outs and the bases juiced. With the count full and nowhere to put the Trojan batter, Lane went into motion and threw a perfectly placed curveball to give West Point its first Class 5A, Region 2 win of the season.
With the win, West Point moved its record to 7-8 overall and 1-2 in the division. New Hope dropped to 13-5 and 2-1.
“My curveball was working tonight,” Lane said. “That last inning was intense. I knew I had to buckle down and put into my head that I need to put the ball where they could hit and get an out or I needed to strike them out.”
West Point head coach Buddy Wyers was exceptionally pleased with his team’s performance.
“I tell my team that you have to have a short-term memory in this game,” Wyers said. “We did a lot of things much better than we have in the last week or so. Lane’s intensity on the mound is what set the tone for the rest of the team.”
West Point picked up two runs in the bottom of the fourth. One run coming off of a blooper to shallow right field and the other off a solid double to center field by Freddie Reed.
The Green Wave picked up its third and final run off of a line drive just out of the Trojan third baseman’s reach.
New Hope head coach Lee Boyd said that this game came down to a pitcher’s duel, and that both pitchers threw exceptionally well.
“We have to tip our hat to Lane,” Boyd said. “He threw well. We knew they were going to be a tough team to play. The last pitch that Lane threw was a gutsy pitch. You just have to tip your hat to that. That’s the best game I’ve seen Lane pitch against us.”
Despite the loss, New Hope starter Boyd also pitched incredibly well and finished with 10 strikeouts.
These two divisional foes will face off again Friday at New Hope.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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