MILLBURY — With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Saturday’s game was still scoreless.
Two-out rallies can help make or break a season.
Long-time Lake baseball coach Greg Wilker was on the good side of another rally as his Flyers batted
through the lineup, scored nine quick runs and nabbed a 20-2 five-inning win over Wauseon.
The players stormed Wilker with the bucket of ice water and fans snapped pictures.
Wilker, who has coached at Lake for 35 seasons, earned his 600th career victory, becoming the 18th head
coach in Ohio high school history to reach the milestone.
“This community loves the game of baseball. And that was the big thing when I first moved up here … the
whole community loves it,” Wilker said. “It’s not Greg Wilker hitting 600, it’s Lake schools winning
600.”
Some of those fans taking photographs were familiar faces for Wilker. It made the moment all the more
special.
“Seeing some of the former players and stuff here, my wife, it is emotional because I’ve been doing it
for a long time,” Wilker said. “It’s just a lot of fun. The big thing is I see a lot of my players, the
parents are kids that I coached also.
“It’s neat. It really is.”
After Bronson Medley and Brendan Zink both singled, Luke Walsh — on a 3-2 count — cleared the bases with
a two-out, two-RBI double to ignite the first-inning rally for Lake (6-0).
Dawson Delventhal and Payton Schroyer each added a single to make it three consecutive hits. Jaxon
Delventhal walked and Tyler Saffran singled through the left side to take a 4-0 lead.
Lake’s run was far from over as leadoff batter Harry Jackson avenged his opening at-bat pop-up to
shortstop with a three-RBI double into the right field gap. Medley capped the inning with a two-run home
run deep over the left-center field fence for a 9-0 lead.
“I wouldn’t trade my staff for anyone. We had a great round of batting practice and it showed that first
inning,” Wilker said.
The Flyers, who only got four turns to bat due to the mercy rule after the top-half of the fifth inning,
batted through the lineup again in the third and fourth innings. Wauseon used a different pitcher in
each of the first three innings.
Jackson went 3 for 5, was just a home run shy of the cycle and knocked a game-high five runs for Lake.
Medley singled twice, homered and had a pair of RBIs. Dawson Delventhal singled, doubled and had four
RBIs.
Austin Fouty had five strikeouts across the first two innings to snag the win for the Flyers.
“I’ve been very fortunate. It’s a blue collar community, they work hard, and they love baseball around
here,” Wilker said. “I was fortunate enough 35 years ago to get a job here.”
“We just preach one game at a time, trying to improve everyday. We’ll enjoy this one today and tomorrow
and Monday we’ll be right back to work here.”
Lake opens the Northern Buckeye Conference schedule today in a home game against Elmwood. The Flyers
continue at Genoa — who Wilker described as the favorite to win the NBC — on Wednesday.
Wilker’s squad scored twice in the second, six runs in the third and added three more in the fourth
inning. The Flyers, despite tallying two hits in the fourth, scored three runs in part because of three
walks and a hit batter.
For one of the premiere coaches in Ohio high school history, winning hasn’t been the only priority en
route to Saturday’s milestone.
“It’s not just about winning and losing. We’re trying to make them better young men.”