Staff photo / Preston Byers. Hubbard pitcher Braydon Songer, far left, and head coach John Schiraldi, center, pose with commemorative banners alongside members of the baseball team after Wednesday’s win vs. Lakeview in Hubbard.

HUBBARD — Wednesday proved to be a historic day for the Hubbard baseball program, and for more reasons than one.

Not only did Eagles ace Braydon Songer strike out 14 batters against Northeast 8 Conference (NE8) rival Lakeview, surpassing 250 career strikeouts in the process, but head coach John Schiraldi earned his 200th career win in a 4-2 victory.

“It means a lot,” Schiraldi said of the milestone. “I went to school here, I played here. I started as an assistant 25 years ago. I was just a young kid, thought it was going to be something I was going to do for a year, and then 25 years later, you’re still here. It’s always special when you can do it for the school that you went to and who you played for.

“But more than anything, you get close to it, and you start thinking of all the kids that got you here, all the former players, all the guys I have [coached]. Really, it’s just a testament to them because they’re what keeps you coming back. I just want to thank all of them more than anything.”

Songer, a Youngstown State commit, brought his best stuff to start Wednesday’s game. He struck out the first four and six of the first seven batters he faced, frustrating a Lakeview lineup that had nine hits and six runs the day before against Hubbard.

While Songer hummed through the early innings, the Eagles took a slim lead. After Songer singled to right field and Logan Balla grinded through a long at-bat to draw a walk, the pair of runners were moved over with a Maddox Pieton groundout, which set up Songer to score on a passed ball.

Hubbard held on to its 1-0 advantage through the second inning and the third, during the latter of which Nicolas Aho became the first Bulldog to record a hit when he narrowly beat the throw on an infield single. But he would not be the last.

Facing Songer for a second time, Nathan Paolucci led off the fourth with a single through the right side of the infield before advancing to second and then third base on a pair of passed balls. Shortly thereafter, Paolucci scored on a triple to deep right field by Brandon Toot, tying the game 1-1.

“They were starting to get the fastball timing, so I knew I was gonna have to start mixing in some changeups and some curveballs and kind of throw off their timing,” Songer said. “They’re a good hitting team, and I knew they were going to pick up on it and that I’d have to bring my other stuff out.”

Much like Lakeview, which could not get Toot home in the top of the inning, Hubbard left Pieton on third base to finish the fourth. Pieton had reached base on a fielder’s choice and subsequently took second and third base on passed balls, but a pair of strikeouts kept him stranded.

The Bulldogs failed to capitalize on one of their biggest opportunities in the fifth, when Xavier Shrader reached base on a dropped third strike to lead off the inning. Aho then grounded in a double play. Even a subsequent defensive error by Hubbard, which had three on the day, did not help Lakeview, as the Bulldogs struck out after the previous batter reached first base on the error.

The Eagles immediately seized on the opening, with Lucas Alexander and Colten Yobe both singling to force Lakeview to replace starter Jacob Shaker with Blake Swinning. Colten Smith, the next batter, then laid down a bunt, which the Bulldogs misplayed when no one covered first base.

With the bases loaded, Jonny Adamson drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to right field. After Songer was intentionally walked to re-load the bases, Swinning hit Balla with a pitch, and another run scored on a Pieton groundball when the home plate umpire ruled Lakeview’s catcher did not touch the plate for the forceout.

“It’s baseball. He hits a little kind of dink single, and then they hit the ball up the middle, and then a couple walks mixed in there,” Lakeview head coach Cam Carson said. “Just kind of how it goes sometimes.”

Similar to the fifth inning, the Bulldogs momentarily gained some momentum in the top of the sixth, only for it to be taken away moments later. This time, Hayden Newton grounded into a double play after Paolucci reached base on an infield error. Following a Jozef Kuchcinski single, Toot grounded out to end the half-inning.

Lakeview’s rally also fell short in the seventh, although Brandon Cash hit a leadoff double to right-center field before scoring on a passed ball. He would be the only runner to make it home, as Songer persevered through another error and earned his 13th and 14th strikeouts to close out the home win.

For the day, Songer allowed five hits, zero walks and one earned run, while Shaker and Swinning also surrendered five total hits, as well as three walks, three earned runs and struck out four batters.

“Two-fifty is a ton,” Schiraldi said of Songer’s milestone. “I hate to sound like I’m almost used to it because it gets lost on you how special it is. This is kind of just what he does. Every time he goes out there, it’s the same thing. You’re going to get a guy with command. He’s going to be poised. It doesn’t matter the situation. He attacks the zone. That’s why he’s going where he’s going. He’s the real deal.”

Wednesday’s loss snapped a seven-game win streak for Lakeview (8-4, 4-2 NE8), and it also knocked the Bulldogs out of first place in the league. Meanwhile, Hubbard (8-7, 6-2 NE8) avenged Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to Lakeview and took over the top spot in the conference. Since a four-game losing streak while out of town for spring break, the Eagles have won six of their last eight.

Hubbard has today off before hosting East on Friday, while Lakeview is set to play LaBrae today at home before traveling to play Marlington on Friday.