WALES – Oak Hill coach Bill Fairchild has watched his seniors take one last lap around the field following their final home game of the season for the last 28 years. The tradition still gets to him.

“Our last home game is very emotional,” Fairchild said. “Everybody in the place knew it was going to happen, and there are some boys here who are still pretty choked up. It’s hard to watch. A lot of those guys have been here for four years.”

This year’s 11-member senior class basked in a standing ovation from the home crowd as they took that final lap amid the sprinkles and to a recording of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” following Tuesday’s 9-2 win over Erskine Academy. Given the zeal with which the 14-1 Raiders have been defending their 2003 Class B state title, it’s not difficult to imagine at least one more victory lap in their future.

“We’ve all been playing together since we were little kids,” senior catcher Kyle Lunn said. “It’s just amazing that this day has come.”

Tuesday’s dismantling of Erskine was fairly typical of the way Oak Hill has been playing this season. The Raiders’ balanced offense clubbed 10 hits, led by Lunn (3-for-3, two runs, two RBIs), Adam Shaffstall (2-for-3, two RBIs), Jason Guerette (2-for-2, two walks, three RBIs) and Mike Eaton (2-for-4, two RBIs).

“The lineup, one through nine, is definitely coming together,” said Lunn, who has been one of the Raiders’ hottest hitters of late. “We’re all strong. It doesn’t matter what number you are.”

Eaton’s RBI single in the second gave the Raiders the lead for good. Lunn’s two-run double in the third made it 3-0, and Guerette plated another run with an RBI single in the fourth.

An unearned run in the top of the fifth pulled Erskine back within three, but the Raiders broke it open with a five-run bottom half of the frame, keyed by a two-run double from Shaffstall and a two-run triple by Guerette.

Oak Hill starter Rick Leavitt went the distance and improved his record to 8-0, though he wasn’t as sharp as he normally is (six hits, one earned run, nine Ks, six walks). His coach and his catcher chalked it up to the big senior righty being a little too pumped up for his last home game.

“He was pretty fired up warming up before the game,” Lunn said.

“I think Ricky competed hard. I think maybe emotionally he wanted it a little bit more than he should have,” Fairchild said. “He had some trouble with 1-2 and 0-2 (counts). If we’re going to go to the playoffs, we’re going to have to sharpen up on that.”

Erskine actually had Leavitt on the ropes several times, but couldn’t come up with the key hit. The Eagles (7-8) left 13 men on base.

“We didn’t get bunts down three times and we had two-out errors that led to two-out RBIs,” said Erskine coach Dave Barden. “You can’t do those things against a good team.”

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