Table setters do their jobs

LENOX — The Lenox baseball seniors continue to set the standard that the rest of a young Lenox baseball team follows.

The top four players in Lenox’s lineup Wednesday, seniors Colton Hogan, Aaron Schmitz, Brenden Christensen and Derek Venteicher, combined for five hits, 10 RBIs, three doubles and 13 runs scored in Lenox’s 19-9 win in six innings over Fremont-Mills.

“These guys just feed off each other. Can’t say enough about them. They’re table-setters,” coach Trevor Luther said.

Lenox overcame deficits of 6-3 and 9-6 when it put up a resounding 11 runs on the board in the fourth inning.

Continued passed balls, some of the Knights’ seven errors, and a continuing string of bunts and liners helped the Tigers to pile up the offense. The dugout was rowdy throughout as the avalanche of baserunners contined to pour around the base paths.

Venteicher, Hogan, Christensen and Cullen Wood all had hits in the fourth that plated runs.

“Our goal is always to put pressure on the opponent and that’s what you do in baseball and sometimes they help you out and sometimes they don’t,” Luther said. “We’re getting back to playing Lenox baseball. Our brand of baseball. The kids are having a lot of fun doing it. We’re running the bases really aggressively.”

Wood finished his day 3-5 with a double and two RBIs.

Christensen crossed home in each of his five plate appearances, Schmitz touched home four times and Hogan added three more runs.

Danny Ramirez had the honor of thumping the single that clinched the win by run-rule in the sixth.

All of this helped freshman Keegan Christensen to confidently return to the hill in the fifth inning after yielding three runs in the fourth. Christensen, making his first varsity pitching appearance, allowed no more Fremont-Mills scores and struck out three Knights.

“His first varsity win, so that’s got to feel good for him. That’s confidence for him going forward,” Luther said. Luther added that he now feels confident tossing any number of his seven pitchers out to the mound.

UP NEXT — Lenox (10-6 overall, 5-6 in the POI) hosts Southwest Valley (4-9, 4-5) today (Thursday).

Lenox 19, Fremont-Mills 9 (6)

R H E

F-M 240 300 — 9 9 7

Len 303 (11)11 — 19 12 1

Lenox stats

Len: Derek Venteicher 2K, Cullen Wood (3) 1K, Keegan Christensen 3K and Colton Gordon. W — Christensen (1-0) HR — none. 3B —none. 2B — Colton Hogan 2, Cullen Wood 1. RBI — Len: Hogan 2, Brenden Christensen 2, Wood 2, Gordon 1, Danny Ramirez 1, Venteicher 1, Aaron Schmitz 1. Multiple hitters — Len: Wood 3, Hogan 2.