By Jim Hunter
July 4, 2009 — VERNON TOWNSHIP — Meadville coach Mark Rose had a heart-to-heart talk with pitcher Shequan Lindsey before Friday’s game against Vernon.
Rose said, “I told Shequan that I’ll give him 20 pitches ... show me what you got.”
Lindsey’s response: a pitcher’s gem.
Mixing in an effective change-up with a knee-high fastball, Lindsey was razor-sharp as the right-hander tossed a two-hit 9-0 shutout over Vernon in District 1 Baseball Tournament Little League loser’s bracket action at Roche Park.
After yielding singles to Trevor Miller and Derek Ridgeway in the first and second innings, respectively, Lindsey retired 11 consecutive Vernon batters before Tyler Spotts reached on an error in the sixth inning.
Lindsey struck out nine and walked one. He threw 60 strikes in 85 tosses.
In other words, Rose definitely got his point across to Lindsey in their pre-game pep talk.
“Shequan pitched his best game of the year,” said Rose. “He was very focused. His change-up worked great. He got ahead of the hitters and they were forced to hit his pitches.”
Vernon found out early Lindsey was going to be one tough hurler.
With Miller (single) and Tanner Carrara (walk) standing on second and first, respectively, with one out in the first inning, Lindsey — realizing he was on the 20-pitch count to prove himself to Rose — bared down and struck out the next two Vernon batters.
Message served: Lindsey brought his A-game.
Lindsey’s mates rewarded his first-inning work with four runs in the bottom half.
Cottrell McDonald led off with a walk and Matt Friedhoff followed with a single to center field. After Kyle Rose drilled a RBI single, clean-up batter Bryce Fauble smoked a two-run triple to right field. Fauble then crossed home plate on Kyle Hopkins’ sacrifice fly.
The Fauble fella smacked another shot in the third inning — this time, a towering home run over the center-field fence to increase Meadville’s lead to 6-0.
Feeding off Fauble’s long-ball heroics, Meadville scored three more runs in the third as Lindsey belted a single and Adam Thomas lined a two-run single to center field.
Leading 9-0, Lindsey did the rest on the mound.
Short Hops: Fauble, Friedhoff and Lindsey were 2-for-3 for Meadville. Lindsey drilled a triple in the fifth inning ... A catcher with three assists? It happened. Hustling to the backstop on three wild pitches, Vernon catcher Ridgeway made three perfect tosses to his pitchers Jarrid Miller and Trevor Smith covering home plate.
