Baseball: Lincolnview closes out another unbeaten NWC campaign
May 4—MIDDLE POINT — Late in Lincolnview's 3-0 win over Crestview on Thursday, which clinched an undisputed Northwest Conference baseball championship, the public address announcer invited any Middle Point youth baseball players in the crowd to run with the Lancers after the game.
That's what the rest of the NWC's baseball teams have been trying to do since 2021. But they haven't run with the Lancers, who have won the last three conference championships without losing a game in the NWC.
Lincolnview improved to 15-3 overall and 8-0 in the NWC with the win. Crestview is 11-3 and 6-2 in the conference.
The game between the two rivals was predicted to be a pitchers' duel and it was for much of the day.
Lincolnview starter Dane Ebel threw a complete-game four-hitter, struck out 12 and had one walk. Crestview's Carson Hunter allowed four hits, struck out six, but walked five and hit two batters in five innings on the mound.
Lincolnview had runners on second base and third base with no one out in the bottom of the first inning but didn't score. It loaded the bases and didn't score in the second inning before loading the bases again in the third inning on an error and two walks and getting the first run of the game on another Crestview error.
That is the only run the Lancers would have needed but they added two more in the fourth inning when Myles Moody walked, Chayse Overholt was hit by a pitch, Ebel singled to score Moody and Overholt scored on a wild pitch.
"We just kept grinding, kept persevering and we knew we would break through at some point," Lincolnview coach Eric Fishpaw said. "We knew we were going to get their best. We're just happy to come out with a win today."
Lincolnview has six returning starters from last year's NWC champion and Division IV state runner-up.
Thursday the three players in last year's starting lineup who weren't back were replaced by a sophomore, Moody (catcher), freshman Chayse Overhold (shortstop) and freshman Holden Price (centerfield).
"It's a good mix of young and old," Fishpaw said. "We want to be playing our best baseball in May and I think we're getting close to that."
Ebel and rightfielder Caden Hanf have been contributors to the Lancers' three consecutive NWC titles.
"It means a lot," Hanf said. "The last three years this was a goal. At the beginning of the season we write our goals down and this is one of them. We got them every single season and it's great."
Ebel said he relied on his fastball most of the game. "Some of my off-speed wasn't there today so I was pounding the zone and letting my defense work. I was trying to get as many strikeouts as I could but the main focus was getting outs," he said.
Crestview coach Jim Wharton said, "It was really tight. Both pitchers threw really well. It was just tough because we didn't have a clean inning. They just kept pressure on us the entire time and we just couldn't catch a break and couldn't get a timely hit when we needed one and they did."
Reach Jim Naveau at 567-242-0414.
