GETTING ON THE BOARD … Kam Smith drives an RBI double to left field for Montpelier to give the Locos a 1-0 lead in the second inning. VIEW 86 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
WEST UNITY (April 18, 2024) – A pair of Hilltop errors in the seventh inning helped the Locos put a five-spot on the board and break a 2-2 tie en route to a 7-2 win to grab first place in the BBC.
The Locos scored single runs in the second (Kam Smith RBI double) and fifth (on Hilltop error) while Hilltop scored one run in the fourth (Cameron Shimp RBI single) and fifth (Terry Rebeck RBI groundout) to result in a 2-2 tie heading to the seventh.
Hilltop pitcher Devin Dempsey walked Smith to open the frame and Jaxon Stahler’s bunt was misplayed which put runners at first and third with no outs for the Locos.
A grounder back to the pitcher by Jaxon Richmond led to Hilltop’s second error of the inning and both Smith and Stahler scored on the play for a 4-2 Montpelier lead.
Tyler Plourde would single to right to give the Locos runners on the corners for the second time in the inning.
After Plourde stole second, Griffin Cooley lined a single to center to bring home Richmond and Plourde as the lead grew to 6-2.
Dempsey would finally get a strikeout for the first out of the inning, but Landon Fackler doubled to center as Cooley scored to make it 7-2.
The inning would end as Dempsey got Kenneth Smeltzer to ground into an inning ending double play.
Smeltzer then finished his complete game two-hitter for the Locos with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to close out the win.
Fackler finished with three hits to pace Montpelier and Cooley drove in two runs.
MONTPELIER 010 010 5 – 7 7 5
HILLTOP 000 110 0 – 2 2 7
Records: Montpelier 5-4 (4-0 BBC), Hilltop 7-4 (4-1 BBC)
WINNING PITCHER: Smeltzer (7 innings, 2 hit, 2 runs, 0 earned, 9 strikeouts, 3 walks)
LOSING PITCHER: Dempsey (2 innings, 3 hits, 5 runs, 2 earned, 3 strikeouts, 3 walks) OTHER: Haynes
LEADING HITTERS: (Montpelier) Cooley – single, 2 RBIs; Fackler – double, 2 singles, RBI; Smith – double, 2 RBIs; (Hilltop) – 2 singles
