DOUBLE DUTY … Landon Fackler gloves a ball near the mound in the early innings versus North Central. Fack-ler took over on the mound later in the game and pitched three innings to earn the save for the Locos. VIEW 186 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
BRYAN (May 22, 2024) – Landon Fackler shutdown North Central during three innings in relief of Loco starter Kenneth Smeltzer and he added an RBI double with the stick as top seeded Montpelier downed No. 4 North Central 6-3 in the second game of the night at Recreation Park in Bryan.
Each team chalked up a run in the first inning starting with the Eagles who got a walk by Connor Gendron, Ben Pettit doubled, and Cohen Meyers lifted a sacrifice fly to left for a 1-0 North Central lead.
Montpelier used a walk and double to get their opening run as Smeltzer walked and Fackler smacked an RBI double to left to score Smeltzer to tie the game 1-1 after one inning.
A single by Griffin Cooley and two North Central errors in the third led to a Montpelier run and a 2-1 lead.
North Central responded in the fourth by loading the bases thanks to Kade Stewart being hit by a pitch, Jackson Poynter singled to center, and Gendron was hit by a pitch.
Smeltzer then issued a bases loaded walk to Pettit to tie the game and Meyers’ RBI groundout gave the Eagles the lead back at 3-2 before Smeltzer would get out of the inning with a backwards K.
Montpelier would go back in front to stay by pushing across two runs in the fourth. Jaxon Richmond singled, Jaxon Stahler doubled, a balk by North Central pitcher Ethan Beard, and Wesley Hartsock smacked a single to right as the Locos went back in front 4-3.
The Locos tacked on a run in the fifth after Cooley was hit by a pitch to start the inning, stole second, went to third on a North Central error, and then scored on a groundout by Smeltzer.
North Central threatened in the sixth but Fackler would get a groundout and popout to end the fame.
Montpelier tallied their final run of the night in the home half of the sixth with the help of two more Eagles errors and a single by Tyler Plourde to increase the lead to 6-3.
Fackler then worked a perfect seventh inning as he retired the Eagles 1-2-3 to earn the save and send the Locos to the district final.
Fackler allowed just one hit in his three innings on the mound with two strikeouts.
Pettit’s double was the lone extra base hit of the night by the Eagles with Meyers registering two RBIs to lead them in that category.
The district final in Bryan on Friday will be an All-BBC affair as Montpelier and Hilltop will square off for the second time this season with Montpelier winning the league matchup 7-2 on April 18.
The first pitch is set for 5pm.
N. CENTRAL 100 200 0 – 3 3 6
MONTPELIER 101 211 X – 6 7 1
Records: N. Central 12-9, Montpelier 12-8
WINNING PITCHER: Smeltzer (4 innings, 2 hits, 3 runs, 5 strikeouts, 7 walks) OTHER: Fackler
LOSING PITCHER: Beard (4 innings, 5 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, 4 strikeouts, 1 walk) OTHER: Poynter
LEADING HITTERS: (NC) Pettit – double, RBI; C. Meyers – 2 RBIs; (Montpelier) Fackler – double, RBI; Stahler – double
