(PHOTOS BY BREANA RELIFORD / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
GETTING THINGS STARTED … Montpelier’s Wesley Hartsock leads off the bottom of the first with a double to right center before eventually scoring the Locos first run of the game.
CADET STARTER … Cameron Schlosser deals a pitch in the fifth inning of Thursday night’s BBC game at Montpelier.
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
MONTPELIER (April 24, 2025) – With a win over Edon earlier this month, a win over Hilltop figured to put the Locos in the driver seat of the BBC title chase.
The Locos did just that with a three-run first inning and then rode Kenneth Smeltzer on the mound as he pitched a complete game two-hitter in a 4-0 Montpelier win.
Wesley Hartsock started the inning with a double to center and two hitters later Smeltzer followed with a double to center of his own to quickly put the Locos up 1-0.
Smeltzer then stole third and scored on the subsequent error on the play to make it 2-0. Griffin Cooley and Jaxon Stahler would draw walks and after stealing second and third, Cooley scored on an error to make it 3-0 after one inning.
Hilltop wouldn’t get their first hit until the third on a leadoff single by Brennan Dempsey, but Smeltzer would get Toby Hartman to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to erase Dempsey from the base pads.
Montpelier added another run in the fourth as a double followed by two singles loaded the bases with no outs.
It appeared for a moment Hilltop starter Cameron Schlosser would escape the frame with no damage done as he would get a strikeout and a force out at home on a fielder’s choice play for the first two outs of the inning.
Hartsock delivered for Montpelier with a single to center for his second hit of the game to score Malachi Smeltzer, who had reached on a single, to extend the Loco lead to 4-0.
That was more than enough run support for Smeltzer who wasn’t challenged until the seventh inning.
Schlosser was hit by a pitch and Terry Rebeck singled to left and advanced to second on the throw to give the Cadets runners at second and third with one away.
The Montpelier defense would then end it as Smeltzer got Anthony Jianuzzi to line out to Stahler at third who would then cut down Schlosser at third for the unassisted double play to close out the win.
Smeltzer’s stellar pitching effort was aided by the Loco defense who turned in three double plays on the night.
HHS 000 000 0 – 0 2 3
MHS 300 100 x – 4 7 0
Records: HHS 6-5, 3-2 BBC; MHS 9-1, 4-0 BBC
WINNING PITCHER: Smeltzer (7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts)
LOSING PITCHER: Schlosser (5 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts) D. Dempsey
LEADING HITTERS: (Hilltop) – 2 singles; (Montpelier) Hartsock -double, single, RBI; Stahler – double; Smeltzer – double, RBI