The Crest Lancers got back in the groove at just the right time with a 12-3, 16-6 sweep of Uniontown (13-7) ahead of Wednesday’s regional tournament opener against Chase County.
After losing four of their last five games, a week away from the diamond may have done the 17-9 Lancers some good although they had to shake off a bit of ring rust before snapping back into form.
“It feels good. We’ve struggled here the last part of the season,” Crest coach Roland Weir said. “We’ve been up and down as far as our pitching and our hitting. We put all three phases of offense, defense and pitching together today.”
Senior pitcher Kade Nilges put Crest on the scoreboard in the opening frame with an RBI grounder, the first of his team-leading four RBIs. With Coach Weir limiting his pitchers to 45 throws to save them for the postseason, Nilges made the most of his 2 2/3 innings with five strikeouts, two walks and holding the Uniontown Eagles hitless and scoreless. Freshman Will Disbrow and junior Jensen Barker came on in relief to combine for an additional four strikeouts while allowing one earned run, one walk and four hits.
“I was chasing a record. I had to put the ball in play,” said Nilges, who recently set the Kansas 3A home-run record and hopes to add a few more once the season officially concludes. “I just want to help my team out and help us win.”
Following an RBI single by Barker in the first inning, the Lancer bats went silent as they coasted on strong pitching and defense.
Uniontown briefly held the lead after the fifth inning after scoring three runs. Crest responded by scoring 10 unanswered runs over the next two innings to take the opener.
Junior second baseman Henry White lit the late-inning fireworks by stealing home, then freshman pinch-hitter Daylon Nichols plated junior first baseman Drake Weir and Nilges in his only at-bat of the evening. RBIs by Disbrow and Nilges gave Crest a 10-3 advantage, then the Lancers added a few insurance runs in the sixth inning on a calamity of errors forced by a Disbrow grounder.
Weir got the start in the finale, picking up the victory on four strikeouts while allowing a hit and a walk. Sophomore Roy Gordon and freshman Koiy Miller got into a bit of trouble while coming on in relief. With much of their runs given up on untimely hits and errors, the pair fought through their frustrations to hold on for the win.
“Coming back from West Franklin, we played a good game but we could not put it all together,” Weir said. “We knew we had to get a game (before the playoffs) and beat them. They are rivals and we got some momentum going.”
While the Lancers were sluggish in the opener, they were well adjusted by the time the finale rolled around. Weir posted three runs on the scoreboard with a homer in the opening frame, then a third-inning Gordon double plated a pair of runners giving Crest a five-run advantage. Uniontown rallied with the scoreboard flashing 5-4 by the top of the fourth inning, but the Lancers put the game away after going on an 11-2 run by the end of the fifth inning.
Following a pair of bases-loaded walks, a Barker grand slam gave Crest a 14-6 lead. The Lancers continued taking advantage of Uniontown’s struggles on the mound until mercifully bringing the contest to an end with RBI singles from freshman shortstop Kole Walter and White.
“I wanted to poke that one out there, and it just went,” Barker said. “All you need to do is get a rhythm going for the team.”
Although facing a Chase County team with a worse record, Coach Weir said he has no intention of overlooking the Bulldogs. 
“They are 8-16, but they’re not going to be an easy punch-out. They have had a pretty tough schedule,” Weir said. “We’re 2-0 against them. We played them a couple of years ago in a doubleheader and beat them both games. They’re going to be pretty tough competition. We have to be ready to play.”
First pitch for Wednesday’s game is 3 p.m.
