Chris Ostrowski's teammates didn't avoid him. They sat right next to him in the dugout and talked to him as if nothing was going on.

As it turned out though, no one took the field in the fourth in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Oestrike Stadium against Whitmore Lake.

After the Fighting Irish scored 11 in the bottom of the third to go up 19-0, the game was called due to a mercy rule. Gabriel Richard (2-0) swept the doubleheader with a 16-1 mercy-shortened win in the opener.

More Coverage at MLive.com: This Story | Game 1 Boxscore | Game 2 Boxscore

Ostrowski was going to get the hook regardless of Gabriel Richard's third inning production.

"He threw two last year, so I don't think he was too unhappy about that," Lenhoff said.

Richard made it to the Division 3 state quarterfinals in 2009 and Lenhoff knows the preparation for those games aren't going to come in blowouts of Whitmore Lake (0-2).

"Right now these kids pretty much understand that they're trying to get in some kind

of run. They think they can go a long way in the states this year and they're good team players," he said.

"It's a team game so we were trying to spread it out because we've got a lot more important games this season and I just came off an arm problem so I just wanted to get used to throwing," Ostrowski said.

After retiring the first three batters swinging, Ostrowski helped his own cause with a two-run single in the bottom of the four-run first inning.

The nightcap was played in a "three-two" format in which each batter starts with a 1-1 count, typical in nightcaps of Catholic League play. Ostrowski's power - he was clocked in the high 80's during the game - combined with the format made for a short night at the plate for the Trojans.

"It definitely (had an effect on the hitters) plus that guy's a great pitcher," said Whitmore Lake coach Jay Munz. "He's throwing probably high 80's locating it pretty well, he's a good pitcher to throw for three-two ball."

The Trojans didn't fare much better with a full count to work with, managing just two hits, both by Ken Jenkins, in the first game. Matt DeDoes (1-0) gave up one run on one hit and struck out four in three innings of work from the mound for the Irish.

"When it's your first game and haven't seen live pitching, you gotta get in the swing of things," Munz said. "We were a little behind it tonight, but a lot of it was mental."

Connor Dishman led the Irish offensively, going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI in the first game. He had another double in the nightcap. Joey Birchler was also 2-for-3 in the opener with a double, two RBI and a stolen base. He had another stolen base and scored three runs in the nightcap as Ostrowski's designated runner.

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by e-mail at petercunningham@annarbor.com, or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.