MILLBURY — Battling a blustery wind, Lake’s Jacob Boelkens pitched a three-hit shutout as the Flyers beat
Otsego, 4-0 Friday afternoon.
With the win, the Flyers improve to 10-0 overall and 3-0 in the Northern Buckeye Conference. The Knights
are 7-4, 2-1.
“Throwing a four-seam (fastball) that ball is going to tail high real hard,” Boelkens said about the wind
gusts out of the West. “I had to throw some two-seams in there and four-seams when I wanted to get them
to swing at the high pitch. It effected my curve ball, it was too flat.
“You just have to pull through in this type of weather.”
Boelkens threw 97 pitches, striking out nine and walking two.
“I have had games when I have thrown 121 pitches. But this year I have been fortunate to have a pitch
count that is low,” Boelkens said. “That just goes to show I have good teammates in the field making
plays for me.”
Through the first six innings Boelkens allowed only two base runners. There was a bunt single by Austin
Meier in the second inning and a walk in the fourth inning.
“It’s tough to win games going into the seventh inning with only one hit,” Otsego head coach Chase
Welker. “All the credit to the pitcher (Boelkens) … He did a great job through six innings, we weren’t
putting any pressure on him
“They (Lake) did a great job. They made all their plays and they got key hits when the needed,” he added.

In the seventh inning the Knights got base hits from Meier and Ben Gray and a walk by Alex Brown to load
the bases.
The Flyers ended the threat and the game with a double play started by third baseman Tyler Saffran.
Saffran also made a nice play on a ground ball which hit him in the chest to end the sixth inning.
Boelkens threw 23 pitches, the most of any inning, in the seventh.
“He made some key pitches there at the end. I was a little worried that he was running out of gas,” Lake
head coach Greg Wilker said about Boelkens.
“We haven’t been in many close games, so it was good to have that pressure in the last inning,” he
continued. “We made some nice plays defensively.”
Lake scored one run in third inning. Boelkens singled with one out, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt
and to third on a passed ball. Harry Jackson’s two-out single to left field gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead.

Boelkens walked to start the fifth inning. He moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on Jaxon
Delventhal’s second sacrifice bunt of the game. Jackson’s single to left field made it 2-0.
Jackson then advanced to second on catcher’s interference and to third on a wild pitch. He made it 3-0
when the throw on the wild pitch went into left field.
Lake’s final run came in the sixth inning. Dawson Delventhal was hit by a pitch with one out. He stole
second base and then scored on two wild pitches to make it 4-0.
“We are just happy to be where we are at,” Wilker said about the undefeated start to the season. “We just
take it a game at a time.”
Otsego 000~000~0~0~3~1
Lake 001~021~x~0~4~3~0
WP – Boelkens. LP – Gonyer. Leading hitters – Jackson (Lake) 2-1B, 2 RBI. Austin Meier (Ots) 2-1B.