ST. JOHN | On a pitching staff as deep as Lake Central's, Nick Kellams sometimes gets lost.
The junior hurler doesn't mind so much, but admits it's nice to earn some recognition like he did Monday in The Times No. 1 Indians' 12-0 win over Merrillville.
"I'm not worried about (the lack of attention) when we've got Jimmy (McNamara) and Taylor (Lehnert) going to Central Michigan," Kellams said. "But it's always good to get a little spotlight."
It started on the mound, where Kellams threw five innings of one-hit baseball, striking out 10 and walking just one.
"I just got ahead of hitters and got my curveball working for strikes today," Kellams said.
Kellams sparked things offensively for Lake Central, too. He led off the game with a solo home run on the first pitch and finished the day 3-of-4 with two RBI and two runs.
"It's a tough one," Pirates coach Mark Ciesielski said. "When you face a team like Lake Central, you can't get behind in the count. They set the tone right away with the first pitch."
The Indians (10-0, 3-0) tallied an impressive eight extra-base hits.
"I'm pleased, but I think we left a little bit out there," L.C. coach Jeff Sandor said. "We haven't played a perfect baseball game, yet."
Sophomore Brandon Oliver pitch all but the final two outs for the Bucs (2-9, 0-3).
"He was a little inconsistent," Ciesielski said. "When you fall behind hitters like that, they're going to make you pay and that's exactly what they did."
Ciesielski came away with a respect for the Indians.
"There's a reason they're No. 1," he said. "Lake Central just took care of business. There's not much to say."
The Indians, ranked No. 1 in the state by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association, will take on the state's No. 5-ranked Portage Indians on Wednesday.
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