Lesson learned; Oak Harbor's LaLonde hates to miss a start
Oak Harbor junior Mike LaLonde doesn't repeat mistakes.
He made a decision he regrets, delaying his offseason arm program a little too long. He tried to make up for lost time and eventually was forced to miss a big start against Lake in the Northern Buckeye Conference late in the season.
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LaLonde, who never had to skip at-bats in the lineup, was good as new Friday, tossing a shutout in a 1-0 victory over visiting Lakota for a sectional championship in Division III. The two-seed Rockets play Saturday's winner between top seed Edison and 10-seed Western Reserve at 2 p.m. Thursday at Shelby.
"Mikey's our best," Oak Harbor coach Nick Lance said. "He did a fantastic job pounding the zone. They're guy mixed it up and kept us off balance. We got one run and I was confident enough in Mike that was all we needed."
LaLonde struck out six, walked none and allowed two hits on 70 pitches.
"I was getting ahead early, first-pitch strikes is the biggest thing," he said. "The defense made some nice plays. I trust and rely on everybody else; get ahead and let the defense do the job. I was trying to be efficient."
Brayden Butzin doubled, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on an ensuring error. Oak Harbor had only five hits.
"We put too much pressure, lose and you're done," LaLonde said. "We got the sectional final, we have to play every game like it's our last."
LaLonde struck out two batters with a runner on third in the middle of the game.
"It shows I have full trust in Butzin," he said. "I have to get a batter swinging and trust Butzin to block the ball. That's big for a pitcher, trusting your catcher is huge. On a ball in the dirt you have to rely on the catcher to block it."
LaLonde loved the atmosphere supplied by both a mound duel against Lakota's Chase Dussel and the sectional final stage.
"Obviously, I like playing with the guys," he said. "(Butzin's) one of the best catchers in the state and the defense behind me. The competition for every inning is what makes baseball fun."
LaLonde, who also plays football and basketball, doesn't intend to miss another start in any sport, especially because of something he might be able to control.
"Next offseason is big; I'm going to get in shape and get my arm moving early," he said.
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Oak Harbor Rockets OHSAA baseball Mike LaLonde
