Matt Cobb pitches gem to help Olympia baseball past West Orange | Observer Preps

Matt Cobb pitched a complete-game shutout and the Olympia Titans got their bats going in the fifth inning of a district showdown with the West Orange Warriors, earning an important 5-0 win April 11.

The contest, which had been scoreless through four innings, was blown open when the Titans (12-7, 4-3 district) scored three innings in the bottom-half of the fifth and an additional two runs in the bottom-half of the sixth.

But it was Cobb's stellar outing — he allowed just three hits on the game — which set the tone for the day.

"Matt Cobb did a great job on the mound — he kept 'em off balance, mixed 'em up and threw strikes," Olympia head coach Chuck Schall said afterward. "It was a big day for him."

At the plate, Austin Vetter led the way for the Titans — Vetter drove in the first run of the game for Olympia in the fifth and followed that by driving in two more runs in sixth. On the game, Vetter went 3-for-3 at the plate. 

Richey Lakes also finished the day with three hits for the Titans, scoring once, and the lineup had 12 hits as a whole.

"We just hit the ball a little bit today and we found some holes," Schall said.

Ryan Jean got the start for the Warriors (8-9, 4-3 district), pitching four strong innings before Olympia rallied in the fifth. Doug Nikhazy came in on in relief, but his outing was short (an inning-and-a-third) and Cale Newton finished the game for West Orange.

The teams will square off again at 7 p.m. Friday at West Orange.