By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Battle Creek Lakeview hosted the Niles varsity baseball team Wednesday evening for a non-divisional doubleheader and walked away with two wins, 2-1 and 11-0.
Lakeview is currently ranked No. 2 in the Division II Coaches Poll.
In a very close first game, the Vikings took an early 1-0 lead after Tim Hardy hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning. After that, Niles controlled the game until the seventh inning when the Spartans scored their first run of the game.
Lakeview took the win when it scored one run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Jake Ferguson suffered the loss for Niles. Ferguson had five strikeouts and allowed just one walk and three hits.
Top hitters for the Vikings were Drew Donohue and Alex Welch both with one double. Hardy also had a double along with his home run.
The second game was a completely different scene as the Spartans took an 11-0 win in just four innings.
Lakeview scored two runs in the first inning, seven in the second and two in the fourth to claim the win.
The Vikes travel to St. Joseph on Tuesday for a pair of Big 16 West Division games.
Junior varsity
The Niles junior varsity baseball team hosted Battle Creek Lakeview Wednesday and split a doubleheader.
The Vikes won the first game 3-1 and fell in the nightcap 9-3.
In game one, Mike Simpson grabbed the win on the mound for Niles, while David Ralston provided the relief.
Simpson threw 12 strikeouts, while Ralston threw one.
Top hitters were Ralston with a double and a single, Billy Siderits also had a double and a single and Nick Hartman and Justin Stroud each had two singles.
In the second game, Taylor Robson suffered the loss on the mound. He threw six strikeouts for the Vikes.
Top hitters were Simpson with two singles, Andrew Brawley had a single and one RBI and Hartman had a single and two RBIs.