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The Lyle-Pacelli baseball team was able to close the door on Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons as the Athletics escaped with an 11-8 victory in Marcusen Park Thursday.

L-P led 9-1 after three innings, but ACGE scored seven runs over three innings to pull within 10-8 in the top of the sixth.

L-P gained a little breathing room when Dane Schara doubled in a run in the bottom of the sixth inning and Athletics relief pitcher Jack Klingfus put ACGE down in order after allowing a lead-off double in the seventh. Klingfus walked the first three hitters he faced, but he recovered and allowed just two runners to reach base over the next three frames.

“Our assistant coach Zach Schara came out and pumped me up a little bit,” Klingfus said. “I just had to stop aiming the ball and I had to throw strikes. My defense had my back.”

L-P (2-1 overall) scored just three runs in the final three innings after a hot start, but the Athletics finished with 10 hits in six innings as a team. L-P is still adjusting to a new lineup, which had to wait quite some time for its home opener.

“We’ve been hitting the ball better since our first game. This was our first time at Marcusen Park, but we’ve been working hard inside and we’ve been getting swings off in practice,” said Jake Truckenmiller, who went one-for-two with an RBI and two walks. “We had some really good players last year who graduated and we need other guys to step up to have a good team. I know they will. You just have to keep cheering on your teammates and keep working at the plate.”

Dane Schara struck out seven while allowing three earned runs in three and one-thirds innings to score the mound win for L-P. ACGE had runners on first and second with no outs in the second inning, but Schara escaped by forcing a groundout and two strikeouts. ACGC had runners on second and third with no outs in the third and Schara escaped that jam by allowing just one run as he struck out two and forced another groundout.

ACGE 0 0 1  3 3 1  0  – 8    5  5

LP 5 3 2  2 0 1  X  – 11  10  5

LP pitching: Dane Schara (W) 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 R, 3 ER, 7 K; Jake Truckenmiller, 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 1 K; Jack Klingfus, 3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 K

LP hitting: Landon Meyer, 1-for-4, R, BB; Mac Nelson, 1-for-5, double, RBI, R; Hunter VaDeer, 3-for-4, 3 R, 3 SB; Jake Truckenmiller, 1-for-2, 2 RBIs, 3 R, 2 SB, 2 BBs; Dane Schara, 2-for-3, 2 doubles, RBI, R, SB, HBP; Logan Brooks, 0-for-2, R, 2 BBs, SB; Trey Anderson, 0-for-1, 3 BBs, R, BB; Blake Klingfus, 1-for-4, RBI; Jack Klingfus, 1-for-4