Orioles pick up pair of wins, stay hot despite weather delay

The Lennox High School baseball team continued its strong stretch of play over the weekend, picking up two convincing wins over Vermillion and Groton before weather cut short a match-up with West Central.

Lennox opened the weekend with a 5-1 victory over Vermillion on Friday, April 24, using timely hitting and a dominant performance on the mound from Mason Reischl.

The Orioles struck early in the bottom of the first inning when Gabe Veurink and Talen Eich delivered back-to-back singles. Cole Spieler followed with an RBI single to bring home Veurink and give Lennox a 1-0 lead.

Reischl took control from there, setting the tone on the mound by striking out multiple Vermillion hitters and limiting scoring opportunities. He recorded a string of strikeouts through the middle innings, helping keep the Tanagers off the scoreboard. He had 11 strike-outs in the game. 

Lennox added to its lead in the third inning. Jaxson Bittner reached on a single and later scored on a double by Eich. Moments later, Spieler reached on an error that allowed another run to cross, extending the Orioles’ advantage to 3-0.

The Orioles tacked on two more runs in the fifth. Bittner scored after being hit by a pitch and advancing through aggressive baserunning, while Veurink later stole home to push the lead to 5-0.

Vermillion managed its lone run in the sixth inning, but Lennox closed out the game behind steady defense and continued command from Reischl on the mound.

Lennox carried that momentum into Sunday, April 26, erupting for a 13-3 win over Groton behind a huge offensive performance.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single from Spieler, the Orioles broke the game open in the second. Lennox plated six runs in the inning, capitalizing on walks, hit batters and clutch hitting.

Bittner drew a bases-loaded walk to score a run, and Veurink was hit by a pitch to bring in another. Spieler delivered again with a two-run double, and Reischl followed with a two-run single to cap the explosive inning and give Lennox a 7-0 lead.

Groton responded with three runs in the third inning, but the Orioles quickly answered. Lennox added another run in the bottom of the third when Justin Butler scored, stretching the lead to 8-3.

The Orioles continued to apply pressure late in the game. In the fifth inning, Lennox pushed across additional runs behind RBI efforts from Butler and others, while capitalizing on Groton defensive miscues. The team added another run in the sixth to seal the 13-3 victory.

Spieler finished with three hits in the game and Eich two. Sam Bambas handled pitching duties, striking out four batters. 

Following the win over Groton, Lennox faced West Central, but the game was postponed in the middle of the third inning due to rain. West Central held a 4-1 lead at the time of the delay. The remainder of the game will be played Wednesday, April 29. 

The Orioles will look to continue their momentum this week as they return to action on Saturday, May 2, hosting Sioux Falls Christian at 5 p.m.