Avon Lake traveled for a chilly April 26 matchup at Elyria, fresh off a trip to Myrtle Beach for Mingo Bay Tournament play.

Jack Lion set the tone immediately with a second-pitch home run and Dominic Poltrone pitched on cruise control, as Avon Lake (7-4, 4-3) took down state-ranked No. 16 Elyria (10-4, 3-2), 7-4, after a late Pioneer rally fizzled out.

“It feels great (to win) just because they’re a for-sure high seed and this means a lot for the conference,” Lion said. “Getting this conference win is going to go a long way, and hopefully we can do it tomorrow.”

PHOTOS: Avon Lake-Elyria baseball, April 26, 2022

With Lion’s shot to deep left, the energy from start to finish on the bench was infectious. This all came after a late loss at home April 23 against Mentor.

@shoremenbats Jack Lion takes the 2nd pitch of the game deep to left for his first home run of the season against Elyria. @MJournalSports #MJBaseball pic.twitter.com/GO1J5Rh8H3

— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) April 26, 2022

“It’s something that was needed early in the season and we noticed it as a coaching staff,” Avon Lake coach Andrew Means said. “I think yesterday was a blessing in disguise. Nobody played, and we had a program practice with an hour-long coaches’ meeting and practiced as a program all together. We changed some things up, and now we have a new standard in the program with how we do things, how we interact in the games, and that’s the new standard going forward.”

“The guys know that and they expect it. It’s on them to keep policing it and keep it going as it is because at the end of the day, we want to show up at the park and win everything we do in every facet. I loved the energy we had today.”

Avon Lake scratched across another run in the first and added two more runs in the second, going up 4-0 early as Elyria struggled at the outset against Poltrone. The senior tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run, all while striking out eight.

Poltrone also walked three straight batters with one out in the fifth inning, but he knew he couldn’t cave to the Elyria offense.

@shoremenbats @Poltroned_12 knew he had to fix things quick to escape a fifth inning bases loaded jam after three straight walks. @MJournalSports #MJBaseball pic.twitter.com/wYbTK914Xw

— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) April 27, 2022

“I definitely started to get a little tired throughout that (inning),” Poltrone said. “I knew what I was doing wrong. I had to find that adjustment quick and just trust my defense to put in the work that needed to be done.”

Poltrone came back and struck out his eighth Pioneer and then got a fly ball for the third out of the inning.

E5: @shoremenbats Issues three straight one out walks, but works out of the jam with a STRIKEOUT #8, VIDEO) And pop fly. 4-0 Shoremen over Elyria. @MJournalSports #MJBaseball pic.twitter.com/8zpM4SlsZK

— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) April 26, 2022

While the Pioneers scratched across their first run against Avon Lake in the sixth, the team put a three-spot on the board in the final inning, but it wasn’t enough for Elyria coach Ed Piazza’s squad, as he took the blame for the loess.

“What I told our guys in the huddle is that I let a lot of things bother me today, and I brought it to them,” Piazza noted. “The energy wasn’t there, and I took the blame for that. I didn’t have them ready, and it was a bunch of distractions today. I let it affect me, and they could see it, too.”

Still, Piazza was proud of his team for not caving to the Shoremen even as the temperature dipped lower and the game felt out of hand until the rally.

“We didn’t give up, and that was the big thing,” he said. “They just kept fighting and plugging away, and I think they gave us some positive stuff going into tomorrow.”

Elyria will travel to Avon Lake to continue the two-game series April 27.