ROUTINE PLAY … Pettisville’s Sebastian Ryan scoops throw to first for the out.
PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
CLIMB THE LADDER … Montpelier second baseman Kade Stewart leaps to snag a throw in the Locos win over Pettisville. VIEW 81 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
MONTPELIER (April 14, 2026) – A wise man once said that “our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.” A wise baseball guru also said that “walks kill.”
On a night where every scoring inning included a base on balls, Montpelier made the most of its chances while Pettisville never got the big hit after gaining a free baserunner, as the Locos scored a 4-1 BBC win to remain unbeaten in league play.
“I told the guys we can win by execution even when we aren’t hitting, which we haven’t been,” veteran Loco coach Toby Hutchison said.
“In the games we have won we executed but we need to learn how to hit because if we are going to go on any kind of tournament run we will have to hit.”
“We can execute and we know that and that’s what we did tonight to win.” Blackbird lefty Luke Horning matched goose-eggs with the Locos’ Kenneth Smeltzer the first two innings.
However, the Blackbirds got a rally going in the third when Creighton Aeschliman rapped a one-out single and Ryan Bishop drew a walk. Smeltzer got Quinn Ripke to hit into a force play at third, but an error on a ball hit by Rylee Bevard put the Blackbirds up 1-0.
Montpelier answered with a run in the bottom of the inning. Horning walked Jacob Lyons to start the inning and then Lyons stole second, went to third on CJ Fidler’s sacrifice, and scored on a wild pitch to knot the game.
The Locos seemingly had another tally when Wesley Hartsock’s drive down the left field line appeared to all in the press box to hit the foul pole above the fence line for a home run.
However, it was ruled that the ball hit the fence, leaving Hartsock on second with a double, and Horning got Hayden Sharps on a fly ball to end the inning.
Montpelier (5-1, 2-0 BBC) took the lead for good the next inning as the first two hitters walked to open the frame. Kenneth Smeltzer was thrown out at the plate in a rundown, but Malachi Smeltzer shot a double just inside the third base line to chalk up the go-ahead run.
Jaxon Stahler reached on a pop-fly single to right and after taking second, Fidler came up with the biggest hit of the game, a two-run single to make it 4-1.
That would be all the runs the Locos would need, although Smeltzer walked a pair of Blackbirds (3-4, 0-2 BBC) after giving up Bevard’s second hit of the night in the sixth.
Hartsock came to the mound and struck out Sam Hastings on a 3-2 pitch to squelch the threat and worked a scoreless seventh for the save.
“Most of our games have been won by pitching,” Hutchison said. “We aren’t giving up a lot of runs. Pitchers are doing a great job for us right now.”
PHS 001 000 0 – 1 4 0
MHS 001 300 x – 4 5 1
WP- Kenneth Smeltzer (IP-5.2, H-4, R-1, BB-4, K-7)
LP- Luke Horning (IP-6, H-5, R-4, BB-3, K-2)
LEADING HITTERS: (Montpelier) Wesley Hartsock – double; Malachi Smeltzer – double, RBI; CJ Fidler – single, 2 RBIs; (Pettisville) Rylee Bevard – 2 singles
