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By Curtis Duncan
Lutheran North baseball coach Mike Russell was hoping that his club would roll into postseason play at least a little hungry for a shot at the Class 2A state tournament. An 11-8 loss on Monday to ABC League rival Priory was probably just the incentive to get the Crusaders' batsmen focused. A day later, the Crusaders came out ready to play and swing the bats. Bolstered by a big fifth inning and Mike Irving's strong outing, the Crusaders raced to an 11-0 five-inning victory over Orchard Farm, Tuesday, in a Class 2A, District 7 semifinal at Lutheran North.
The victory propels Lutheran North (14-1) into the district championship against Winfield, Wednesday, at 4:15 p.m. Second-seeded Winfield defeated Whitfield, 15-4, in the other semifinal to advance.
"We were glad to get back on the winning track; we lost our first game of the season yesterday in a league game with Priory," said Lutheran North coach Mike Russell. "So the kids came back and played well today."
After a scoreless first inning, Lutheran broke on top with three runs in the bottom of the first inning for a 3-0 lead. A fourth inning run in the last of the fourth made it 4-0 for the Crusaders.
Even with the early lead, the Crusaders were concerned about their run production.
"Well, we started a little shaky," Russell said. "Our offense was kind of slow getting started."
The Crusaders' offense didn't stay in that slow mode much longer, though. In the bottom of the fifth, the Lutheran North bats came alive in a big way. A seven-run explosion in the frame put the Crusaders comfortably ahead to stay at 11-0.
"We didn't win it 'til the bottom of the
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