WILLIAMS COUNTY ACME BASEBALL … Edon starting pitcher Kyler Sapp tosses to first base for the out. VIEW 213 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Daniel Cooley
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
EDON (JUNE 8, 2023) – In ACME action on Thursday night, Hilltop and Edon split a doubleheader with Hilltop handily winning the first game 14-3 and in game two, Edon broke through with five runs in the first inning, en route to an 8-4 win.
The first game was a pitcher’s duel through the first four innings, with Hilltop clinging to a 1-0 lead. But then the floodgates opened.
Taking advantage of seven Edon errors, the Cadets tallied 12 runs in the final three innings, to run away with game one.
Hilltop scored a run in the first inning on a walk and Devin Dempsey’s RBI single. In the meantime, Hilltop staved off scoring threats from Edon in the second and fourth innings.
In the second, Edon put the first two runners aboard on a single and a walk. But a groundout, strikeout and another groundout ended that scoring threat.
In the third inning, Edon loaded the bases with one out, but a double play groundout, on a fly out to center field, ended the inning.
After catching the ball, the center fielder threw to third base to double up the runner, who was halfway to home plate when the ball was caught.
Hilltop, which scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning, began the inning with two walks. Cameron Schlosser then knocked in a run to give the Cadets a 2-0 lead.
Terry Rebeck’s RBI groundout made the score 3-0. Zander Runkel’s RBI single plated the third run of the inning and Runkel later scored on a throwing error to make the score 5-0.
Hilltop then sent 11 men to the plate in the sixth inning and with the help of three Edon errors, scored seven runs to take a 12-0 lead.
Wade Wagner, Dempsey, Rebeck and Runkel all had RBIs, while the other three runs scored on errors.
Edon kept the game from ending on a 10-run rule, by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, to cut Hilltop’s lead to 12-3.
Kyler Sapp had an RBI single and then scored on a Hilltop error. Branden Wehrle then knocked in the third run on a fielder’s choice ground ball.
Hilltop then scored two runs in the seventh inning on wild pitches for the 14-3 win. Wagner hit a triple and a double to lead Hilltop. In addition, Runkel hit three singles and Devin Dempsey hit a double and a single.
“Wagner is hitting the ball really hard,” said Hilltop coach Chase Whitman. “Hopefully, he can carry it on through the rest of the summer and into next spring.”
After Dempsey shut out the Bombers for the first three innings, Raace Haynes came on in relief and struck out the first five batters he faced, before giving up three runs in the sixth inning (two earned). “We hit the ball really well that first game and then we played a lot of our young guys the second game”, Whitman said.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Hilltop scored in the top of the first inning, to take a 1-0 lead. Schlosser led off the inning with a triple and then scored on Rebeck’s sacrifice fly.
However, Edon answered with five runs in the bottom of the first inning, to take a 5-1 lead. Sapp and Lane Brandt had RBI singles and “A Rod” Rodriguez knocked in a run when getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Edon’s other two runs were scored on wild pitches.
“A couple of teammates got on base and It was nice to get an RBI to help us get going,” Sapp said. “We were able to get some hits going in the second game and were able to jump on (Hilltop) early.”
“In the first game, we struggled with errors and couldn’t put any hits together until late in that game.”
Edon then took a 6-1 lead in the third inning. Sapp led off with a double, stole third base and scored on Wehrle’s RBI ground out.
Hilltop put forth a rally in the top of the fourth inning, scoring three runs, to cut the Edon lead to 6-4. Haynes walked and scored on an error and Anthony Jiannuzzi knocked in the other two runs with a two-out single. But a pop out to the shortstop ended the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Justin Horne had an RBI single, and the other run scored on a Hilltop error.
The game was then called because of darkness.
Sapp led Edon (3-2) with a double and a single in the second game, while Brandt added a double.
Max Radabaugh got the win for Edon, going the first three innings, allowing just one run on two hits, while walking three.
Radabaugh gave up a double and a walk in the third inning, but a pop out to the shortstop and a double play groundout.
The shortstop stepped on the second base bag for the unassisted put out. He then threw to the first baseman to complete the double play and end the inning.
“Max throws hard for us, but we took him out after the third inning, because his pitch count was up there and he was getting tired,” said Edon coach Ian Hickman.
“And Kyler (Sapp) got us going in that second game, with a couple of big hits. He’s always been a good hitter and always gets the bat on the ball. You can rely on him.”
GAME 1
HILLTOP 100 056 2 – 14 12 4
EDON 000 003 0 – 3 4 7
Records: Hilltop 1-0-1, Edon 2-2
WINNING PITCHER: D. Dempsey (3 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks) Others: Haynes, Rebeck
LOSING PITCHER: Sapp (4.2 innings, 5 hits, 6 runs, 4 earned, 10 strikeouts, 5 walks) Other: Radabaugh, Oberlin, Chrisman
LEADING HITTERS: (Hilltop) W. Wagner – triple, double, RBI, 3 runs; D. Dempsey – double, single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Haynes – double, 2 runs; Runkel – 3 singles, 2 RBIs; Schlosser – triple, 2 singles, RBI, 3 runs; (Edon) Oberlin – double
GAME 2
HILLTOP 100 3 – 4 3 1
EDON 501 2 – 8 7 4
Records: Hilltop 1-1-1, Edon 3-2
WINNING PITCHER: Radabaugh (3 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned, 0 strikeouts, 3 walks) Other: #10
LOSING PITCHER: B. Dempsey (3 innings, 6 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned, 2 strikeouts, 0 walks) Other: Rossman
LEADING HITTERS: (Hilltop) Nichols – double; Schlosser – triple; Jiannuzzi – single, 2 RBIs (Edon) Brandt – double, RBI; Sapp – double, single, RBI, 2 runs
Dan be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
