OVR GAME 15: Southeastern moves into title game with 10-5 win over Schererville (07/29)

Jill Pickett

Schererville's Brenden Seren fields the ball to turn and make the out at first during the Monday afternoon game at Sonny Chaput Field in the Ohio Valley Regional 2008 Cal Ripken Tournament.

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Jill Pickett

Schererville's Austin Howard makes contact to put the ball in play during the Monday afternoon game at Sonny Chaput Field in the Ohio Valley Regional 2008 Cal Ripken Tournament.

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Jill Pickett

Southeastern Lexington's Lincoln Henzman tags out Schererville's Jake Sebahar sliding into home plate during the Monday afternoon game at Sonny Chaput Field in the Ohio Valley Regional 2008 Cal Ripken Tournament.

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By NATHANIEL BRYAN nbryan@thenewsenterprise.com ELIZABETHTOWN — Devin Hairston got hot at the plate at Sonny Chaput Field a long time ago. Javon Shelby is just now warming up. Together, Lexington Southeastern’s starting middle infield combined to hit three two-run home runs as Southeastern stormed past the Schererville (Ind.) Sluggers, 10-5 on Monday afternoon in the Cal Ripken Ohio Valley Regional 12-year-old 50/70 Tournament’s winners’ bracket championship game. Lexington advanced to the championship game against Schererville, which beat West Kentucky champion Louisville Prairie Village late Monday night in the losers’ bracket final. will have to beat unbeaten Southeastern (4-0) twice if it wants to claim the championship of the 10-team, double-elimination tournament. Tonight’s winner advances to the Cal Ripken World Series next month in Aberdeen, Md. Shelby, who started at second base before moving to shortstop in the fifth inning, had been in a bit of a slump in Southeastern’s first three wins. “I don’t know what it was. I guess I was just a little nervous,” said Shelby, who was selected as his team’s Player of the Game. Those nerves should be all but gone after he homered to right-center in the bottom of the first inning, was hit by a pitch and scored in the fourth and singled, stole second and scored in the fifth for Southeastern’s final run. “Javon’s so athletic and he’s an incredible hitter,” said Southeastern manager Kenny Jackson. “We’ve hardly seen in this tournament what we know Javon’s capable of at the plate.” Hairston, Southeastern’s starting shortstop, has shown his offensive capability in almost every game. He homered twice, doubled and singled in Southeastern’s 14-10 tournament-opening win over Evansville (Ind.) Highland and went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, a two-run homer, a double and seven RBIs in Southeastern’s 25-1 quarterfinal win over Matteson (Ill.). After not homering against Pleasant Prairie (Wis.) in the semifinals – not that he needed to as Southeastern scored the game’s first 10 runs in a 12-5 win – Hairston went 2-for-3 with two homers and four RBIs. “The ball looks as big as a watermelon right now,” said Hairston, the tournament’s leading home-run hitter with six. In addition to his offensive prowess, Hairston showed he could dominate in relief on the mound. He took over for starting pitcher Lincoln Henzman (five hits allowed, two earned runs, no strikeouts) to start the fifth inning and faced eight batters in two innings of hitless relief. “I think I’m a better shortstop than a pitcher,” Hairston said. Jackson, who saw Hairston beat Schererville in last year’s 11-year-old regional, isn’t so sure. “Devin’s a competitor. He wants the ball. He’s been asking for it all week,” Jackson said of Hairston, who hasn’t allowed a hit in two pitching appearances in the tournament. All but one batter in Southeastern’s starting lineup had a hit as Southeastern hit double digits in runs for the sixth consecutive game dating back to the East Kentucky winners’ bracket finals. Luke Rouse, Riley Jackson, Tyler Wagner, Taylor Henley, Cameron Covington and Justin King had one single each for Southeastern, while King and Rouse each had an RBI and Jackson, Wagner and King combined for four runs scored. Second baseman Donovan Chandler was selected as Schererville’s Player of the Game by going 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Cory Dickelman singled, scored, drove in one run and stole two bases, while Jake Sebahar singled, stole a base and scored, Austin Howard singled, John Milaszewski drove in a run and Brenden Seren and Christian Sullivan scored one run each. LEXINGTON SOUTHEASTERN 10, SCHERERVILLE, IND., 5                                                 R H E Lex. Southeastern    210   110      5 5 3 Schererville              400   51x     10 10 3 Shaun Riordan, Frank Podkul (5) and Jake Sebahar. Lincoln Henzman, Devin Hairston (5) and Riley Jackson. WP: Henzman. LP: Riordan. HR: Hairston (LS) 2, Javon Shelby (LS). Nathaniel Bryan can be reached at 505-1758