By: Nate Calvin
MONTPELIER – Rarely in a game with the league title on the line does the winning team have just two singles on the night.
That was the case though on Friday night in Montpelier as the Locos took advantage of five North Central errors, including three in the first inning, for a 4-2 win.
The win guarantees Montpelier at least a share of the BBC title after having their streak of three straight BBC titles ended last season by North Central.
Montpelier currently is tied with Edon (5-1) with one league loss. The Bombers close out BBC play on Tuesday, May 9 versus Holgate.
North Central struck first after Kenneth Smeltzer walked and eventually scored after a Montpelier error and Cohen Meyers hit into a fielder’s choice to take a 1-0 lead.
Montpelier’s first two batters in the bottom of the first inning reached on errors to give the Locos runners at second and third with no outs.
Jaxon Richmond brought home the first run with an RBI groundout to second and Landon Fackler scored on a wild pitch to put the Locos up 2-1.
Eagles starting pitcher Sam Moore would strikeout Kam Smith for the second out of the inning before Garrett Girrell drew a walk to keep the inning alive.
Girrell stole second base and then scored when attempting to steal third the catcher’s throw to third was off the mark to give Montpelier their third run of the inning, all without the benefit of a hit.
Montpelier put together a scoring opportunity in the second as Hayden Sharps singled to left and Easten Richmond reached on an error with one out.
Moore escaped the inning though with no damage done as he would get Griffin Cooley and Fackler to fly out to end the inning.
Montpelier added another marker in the fifth after a single and two walks led to an RBI sacrifice fly to right field by Girrell to push the lead to 4-1.
The top of the sixth would see the Eagles mount their best scoring threat of the night after a Smeltzer single to center, the Eagles first hit of the night, a double by Connor Gendron, and walk to Meyers loaded the bases with one out.
Montpelier starter Jaxon Richmond would get out of the jam though with the Eagles scoring just one run with Ben Pettit’s sacrifice fly scoring Smeltzer before Ethan Beard hit into a fielder’s choice as Montpelier got Meyers on a force at second to end the inning.
Richmond then proceeded to slam the door on North Central in the seventh by striking out the side, giving him ten on the night.
Richmond also limited North Central to just two hits, both in the sixth inning.
N. CENTRAL 100 001 0 – 2 2 5
MONTPELIER 300 010 x – 4 2 4
Records: North Central 9-5 (5-2 BBC), Montpelier 10-6 (6-1 BBC)
WINNING PITCHER: Richmond (7 innings, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 10 strikeouts, 3 walks)
LOSING PITCHER: Moore (5 innings, 2 hits, 4 runs, 1 earned, 6 strikeouts, 4 walks) Other: Gendron
LEADING HITTERS: (North Central) Gendron – double; (Montpelier) – 2 singles
Nate can be reached at sports@thevillagereporter.com