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White Oak pitcher Jacob Fritter delivers on Tuesday.
The Daily News / Randy Davey
White Oak knocks off JHS 9-5
Vikings win season finale
A White Oak lead over Jacksonville had been unsure this baseball season.
That is until Tuesday.
The Vikings belted 14 hits and sophomore right-hander pitcher Jacob Fritter scattered seven hits in six innings in a 9-5 season-finale victory over the host Cardinals.
White Oak twice this season lost leads to its crosstown rival thanks to clutch hitting by Jacksonville. And while the Cardinals appeared in the rallying mood once again, this time the Vikings' margin proved too strong.
The ability to fight for the win gave White Oak (6-16) its first Mideastern 3-A/4-A Conference victory. Jacksonville, which now looks forward to the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs after earning the MEC's second seed, departed its home field 7-12, 3-9.
"This makes everything better," said Vikings head coach Larry Coffman. "To beat a rival and to finish the season with a win makes everything else go away and I am most proud of the seniors for sticking with it and playing hard to try to make this team better."
White Oak seniors T.J. Lassitter, Christian Rosso, Jacob Legan, John Bright and Ryan Askins all contributed to the win.
Rosso went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs; Lassitter went 2-for-4 with a run; Legan went 2-for-4 with an RBI; Bright had a hit, a pair of runs and an RBI; and Askins replaced Fritter to record the final three outs.
"This is a huge win," said Lassitter. "I probably won't play baseball again and beating Jacksonville was one of my goals."
Rosso was also pleased to end with a victory.
"This feels good to come together," he said. "I think this can start something up for next year's team."
The Vikings seized control by plating four two-out runs in the third as Bright and Rosso each singled in a run before Fritter helped his cause by singling in a pair of scores. Sophomore Dustin Walker then singled in a couple of runs in the fifth before Rosso and Fritter each drove in a run in the sixth with ground outs. Legan later doubled in a run for the final Vikings run.
"We hit the ball tonight, it was the seniors who refused to lose," Coffman said. "We were consistent and patient and we played to win rather than not to lose."
Senior right-hander Erik Erlandson suffered the loss after yielding seven hits and four earned runs in three innings. Sophomore Lukas Schroeder, junior Austin Latham and Walker each had two hits for the Vikings.
"We didn't match White Oak's intensity," said Cardinals head coach David Fleischer. "White Oak has played well all year they just haven't had breaks."
Fritter earned the win after allowing three earned runs in six innings. He walked just one and struck out six.
"All I kept thinking was winning for the five seniors," said Fritter. "Tonight I just worked around the plate."
Erlandson, sophomore Brandon Ulmer and junior Jake Powell each had two hits and a run for the Cardinals.
"I feel about the kids fighting for the last inning-and-a-half," said Fleischer. "But we can't afford to sleep walk on any game because it creates bad habits."
White Oak 004 023 0 - 9 14 5
Jacksonville 000 102 2 - 5 10 0
WP-Fritter 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 K. LP-Erlandson 3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K. HITTERS-WO: Lassitter 2-4, run; Schroeder 2-4, 2 runs; Rosso 2-5, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Latham 2-3, run; Walker 2-3, 2 RBI; Legan 2-4, 2B, RBI; Bright 1-4, 2 runs, RBI; Fritter 1-3, run, 3 RBI. JHS: Ulmer 2-4, run; Erlandson 2-4, run; Powell 2-3, run, RBI; Knapp 1-4; Gibson 1-4, run, RBI; Adams 1-3; Mendiola 1-2, RBI. RECORDS-WO: 6-16, 1-11, season completed. JHS: 7-12, 3-9, hosts South Central Friday in first round of 3-A playoffs.
