This year the National League adopted the long time American League rule of having a designated hitter hit for the pitcher.
Evergreen’s Landen Vance is perfectly fine with that not being the standard in high school.
That’s because the senior right-hander hammered a long two-run homer and a run-scoring double while pitching 3 2/3 innings of one hit ball in an 8-1 Viking win over Toledo Start in baseball action Tuesday.
After walking the leadoff hitter, Vance picked him off first base, then blew away the next eight hitters on strikes.
In the bottom of the third, Evergreen broke through when Vance blasted a drive far over the left field wall with one on to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead.
Start scratched out an unearned run in the fourth but the Vikings answered back when Vance rammed a double into the left center field gap to score Brock Hudik and again put the Vikes up by a pair.
Evergreen blew the game open in the sixth.
RJ Shunck lined a triple to left center and scored on a ground out.
After a pair of walks and Overfield’s third hit of the day loaded the bases, Ashton Sayers delivered a two-run single to make it 6-1.
A wild pitch marked another run then Zack Laver finished off the inning with a line drive single to plate the eighth Viking run.
Evergreen hosts Wauseon Thursday and Liberty Center Friday in important league contests, then brings Holgate to Simon Field on Saturday.
