Freshman Amari Lewis is making an impact with Dover High School baseball team

DOVER - A lot of decisions are hard in baseball, but as far as putting Amari Lewis in center field and having him bat leadoff, Dover head coach Scott Dubben spoke on which side of the easy-to-difficult spectrum that decision was.

"It was a pretty easy decision for me putting him out there," Dubben said. "He gets on-base, he's a threat to steal on any pitch and he's doing a great job of hitting. He's hitting line drives and he's finding a way of getting us going, especially early in the game."

That trend continued in Dover's 3-0 Division I win over Winnacunnet on Friday afternoon. Lewis made a heads-up defensive play in the top of the first and came through in the bottom.

Winnacunnet's Timmy Knight opened the game with a lead-off walk off Dover starter Alex Cook. On a 2-1 count to Miles Pratt, Knight was off for second. Pratt hit a liner to Lewis in shallow center. Lewis ran in, made the catch and quickly fired to first to double up Knight.

"Before the play, I was thinking 'what am I going to do with the ball,'" Lewis said. "The ball came to me, and I saw the runner stealing. I was like 'I've got to throw it back to first as hard as I could.' Threw it on a laser, and I am thankful for my first baseman for picking that ball."

Dubben said Lewis, who played varsity football and basketball this year for the Green Wave, has a really high baseball IQ.

"Amari, with no hesitation, coming up and throwing the ball to first base, that's what you're supposed to do it when you recognize that," Dubben said.

Setting the tone early

Lewis drew a five-pitch walk to open Dover's half of the first. With Grant Davis at the plate, Lewis was in the process of trying to steal second, but Knight was called for a balk, sending Lewis to second. Lewis advanced to third on a strikeout, and then scored on Ryder Aubin's groundout to third.

"We manufacture a run early, and a lot of that has to do with (Lewis') speed," Dubben said.

"I feel like early runs are always super important to get a lead for our pitcher," Lewis said. "I go up there and try to get on base any way I can. I try to steal a couple of bags for the team. I tried to steal, and (Knight) got called for a balk and I got on second. Just always looking to help my team in any way to get up early."

Putting the pressure on

Lewis said he always wants to put immediate pressure on the pitcher, especially early in the game.

"Taking big leads, and making sure that I'm in the pitcher's mind to help the batter," Lewis said. "(I want the pitcher) focusing on both of us and that helps the batter bring me in."

Sitting out opener, waiting his turn

Lewis didn't start in the season opener, a 5-0 loss to Merrimack. Dubben thought it would be best, with Lewis being a freshman, to have him watch for a game to kind of see a couple of things before Dubben put him in the field.

"It was something I thought was definitely probably going to be coming," Dubben said of Lewis being inserted into the starting lineup. "I know what type of player he is. But first game of the year, we wanted to see a couple of things. It was apparent we needed him right away."

Lewis remembers being in class when he found out he would be making his first start in the second game of the season at Salem.

"I saw the text and I got really happy," Lewis said. "I was just like 'I've got to go out there and play my game, and be confident in myself and (stay) comfortable.'"

Lewis had a hit and two RBIs in that game against Salem, a 6-3 Dover win. He then had a hit, and two RBIs in an 11-0 win over Nashua North; a hit and a run scored in a 5-4 win over Bedford and a two-hit, three-run performance in a 7-2 win over Manchester Central/West.

"He's great in center field, incredibly fast," said Cook, who allowed just three hits and struck out 11 in the complete-game shutout. "It feels like every time he gets on base, he's stealing. Great at the plate, and hits at the top of the order, so that obviously says something about him."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Freshman Amari Lewis making an impact on Dover High baseball team