YSE File Photo
Led by a versatile effort from senior Jackson Shoulders, the Lyon County High School baseball team continued to show it’s putting it all together at the right time with a 6-3 victory Thursday at Union County. With the victory, defending regional champion Lyon County surpassed its regular-season win total (23) from last year.
In a pairing of two of the 2nd Region’s top squads, the Lyons made a five-run third inning hold up to take down the Braves. Shoulders, who gave up two runs — none earned — in four innings of work, struck out five and also homered to help LCHS win for the sixth time in eight games played during the month of May.
Shoulders (6-1) had strong command, walking none and scattering four hits during his eighth start of the season. Eli Baker fanned three and gave up three hits and one unearned run during three innings of relief to pick up his first save in 10 appearances in 2022.
Lyon County’s leading hitter Brody Williams got the scoring started in the top of the third with a one-out RBI double to center. The Lyons then proceeded to score four more times with two outs, highlighted by a two-run single from John Bingham. Union County only committed two errors in the contest, but both of them led to runs during the game-clinching third inning.
The Braves got a run back in the bottom half, when Brock Cullen reached on an error, took second base on a passed ball, reached third on a Landon Jones groundout, and scored on a two-out wild pitch, cutting the Lyon lead to 5-1.
After LCHS stranded a pair of runners in the fourth, Union continued to fight back on a two-out, two-run single by Riley Cullen that pulled the host Braves within 5-3 of the Lyons, but Shoulders recovered from a 3-0 count and got Waylon Wheatley to pop out to end the threat.
A few minutes later, Shoulders popped his ninth home run of the year to give himself and his team an insurance run. It was his lone hit of the night in four plate appearances. Williams and Baker each had two hits each, combining for four of the Lyons’ nine as a team.
Cannon Sheffer (3-4) gave up nine hits and six runs (two earned) in six innings to earn the loss for UCHS. He did have one of six Brave hits at the plate and scored a run. Race Oleary struck out two during a perfect inning of relief. Riley Cullen went 2-for-3 to lead Union County (15-13) offensively.
Lyon County (24-5) has one regular season game remaining on its slate: a Friday evening meeting with Henderson County (18-9) in Eddyville.
