2024, Varsity Baseball | June 8, 2024

Weight lifted as Lake Central punches ticket to state

nwitimes – David P. Funk

LAFAYETTE ā€” Itā€™s a relief.

For Lake Central, coach Mike Swartzentruber and the Indians’ class of 2024, Saturday nightā€™s 6-1 semistate championship win over Homestead is a weight lifted.

LC was a game away last spring. It lost a heartbreaker to Penn in the regional final the year before. Swartzentruber took North Posey to three state title games in the 2000s, winning twice, but hasnā€™t been back since.

Everybody can now exhale.

ā€œI thought I was a little better than I was, as a coach. My next job (after North Posey) humbled me. We werenā€™t very good for seven years. Lake Central revived my career,ā€ he said. ā€œWeā€™ve had heartbreak after heartbreak in the state tournament. We have a group of guys that didnā€™t have a lot of fanfare. Iā€™ve told them many times ā€˜When you break down our 22 individual parts this isnā€™t nearly the most talented team Iā€™ve coached but when you bond the 22 together, weā€™re pretty good.ā€™ā€

Indians senior starting pitcher Blake Sivak threw like an ace, going the distance while striking out nine, walking none and allowing three hits.

ā€œWeā€™ve had some heartbreak the last few years and to finally make it to state is so unreal,ā€ Sivak said. ā€œIā€™m so exhausted. Iā€™m glad I could put my full effort into this team and get us to state.ā€

Spartans starter Alex Graber, a Northern Illinois commit, was perfect in his first time through the LC order. The Indians (25-9) didnā€™t get to him until the fourth and didnā€™t do serious damage until the third time through the order in the sixth.

Lake Central first broke through in the fourth when Nick Robinson became the gameā€™s first base runner with a walk. Quinn Oā€™Bryan bunted him to second and then Griffin Tobias grounded out to third base. Robinson took third on the play and scored when Homestead first baseman Brady Minnickā€™s throw to try to get him bounced into left field.

Robinsonā€™s speed was again a factor when he walked in the sixth, reached second on Oā€™Bryanā€™s single, stole third and then scored on Griffin Tobiasā€™s single.

ā€œAll season long, coach has talked about guys stepping up and making plays,ā€ Robinson said. ā€œCoach puts a lot of pressure on all of us to go fight for 90 feet and be aggressive on the bases.ā€

Lake Centralā€™s biggest blow came two batters after Tobias, when Ryder Fernandez doubled in two more.

Homestead (20-11) finally scored in the seventh on a Minnick RBI single.

ā€œIt feels good to finally punch though, to knock the door down and punch our ticket to state,ā€ Robinson said. ā€œCoach works very hard to make sure weā€™re ready to play. He takes practice as seriously as each game. It feels good to do this for him. Weā€™re glad that we can go and win for him.ā€

Sivak and Graber dueled early.

Sivak was perfect through three and didnā€™t allow a base runner until Homestead designated hitter Cole Kintz tallied the gameā€™s first hit in the fourth. Kintz poked a triple into the gap between center and right fields. Sivak was able to get the next hitter to ground out to end the threat, though.

ā€œI think this was probably the best Iā€™ve ever felt before a game. I donā€™t know if it was the adrenaline, but I felt great going out there,ā€ Sivak said. ā€œTo (win state) for this town, after the past few years, with all the heartbreak, itā€™s been on everyoneā€™s mind for the past three years. To bring back a state title would make it all worth it.ā€

Lake Central will play Mooresville in the state title game. The Pioneers beat Avon 7-2 in the southern semistate.

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