BBC CHAMPS … Montpelier’s Griffin Cooley slides home with a run in the fifth inning. Cooley scored the game-winning run on a suicide squeeze in the seventh inning as Montpelier clinched a share of a third straight BBC title.
(PHOTOS BY BREANA RELIFORD / THEVILLAGE REPORTER)
SMALL BALL … Garret Shockley squares to bunt for the Eagles in a BBC contest at Montpelier.
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
MONTPELIER (May 2, 2025) – The Locos were three outs away from a share of their third straight BBC title. North Central had other plans as they scored four in the top of the seventh to tie it, forcing Montpelier to turn in some late game heroics in the bottom of the inning for a 9-8 win.
Montpelier would come through with the first run of the night in the bottom of the third after the Eagles missed scoring chances in the second and top of the third.
Jacob Lyons led off with a walk before being moved to third on a pair of sacrifices and then would score on an RBI single from Wesley Hartsock for a 1-0 lead.
The Locos added two more runs in the fourth with a two-out rally as Malachi Smeltzer dropped a double to left and scored on a Lyons infield hit that resulted in a two-base error to make it 2-0.
With Lyons at second, CJ Fidler lined a single to center to push the lead to 3-0.
The Eagles got one back in the fifth as Jackson Poynter started the inning with a double, moved the third on a fly out and then scored on a groundout by Kade Stewart to make it 3-1.
Montpelier looked to be taking control as they put together another two-out rally in the fifth to extend their lead.
Kenneth Smeltzer drew a two-out walk from North Central pitcher Gavin Shockley, stole second, and then scored when Griffin Cooley reached on an error making it 4-1.
Jaxon Stahler was next with a single to right that led to another Eagle error which allowed Cooley to come around and score to give the Locos a 5-1 advantage.
After a Malachi Smeltzer single and steal of second, Lyons reached on another walk to load the bags.
Fidler then capped off the four run inning with a pop fly single to shortstop as Smeltzer and Stahler scored to make it 7-1 after five innings.
North Central began chipping away at the deficit in the sixth. Tyler Meyers singled, and Alex St. John doubled to put runners at second and third with one out.
Masen Boles then hit a line drive to center that was mishandled, allowing Meyers and St. John to score followed by Poynter being hit by a pitch and Briggs Fiser was intentionally walked to load the bases.
The Eagles tacked on one more run as Stewart put the ball in play and an error by Cooley allowed a run to score to make it 7-4.
The Locos padded their lead in the bottom of the sixth as a hit by pitch and a single from Kenneth Smeltzer two batters later extended the lead to 8-4.
The first two Eagles were retired in the top of the seventh before a hit batter and two walks loaded the bases for the third time on the night for North Central.
The lead was then cut in half as Poynter smacked a two-run double and Fiser lined a two-run single to center to tie the score 8-8.
After being one out from a win, the Locos regrouped to load the sacks as Cooley walked, Stahler reached on an error, and Malachi Smeltzer was intentionally walked with no outs.
Lyons then put down a suicide squeeze that was fielded by the pitcher Poynter as Cooley raced home from third with the game-winning run.
Stahler picked up the win for the Locos on the mound in relief of starter Kenneth Smeltzer who gave up three hits, four runs (all unearned), and eight strikeouts in six innings.
NCHS 000 013 4 – 8 6 5
MHS 001 241 1 – 9 8 4
Records: NCHS 5-8, 3-3 BBC; MHS 11-2, 6-0 BBC
WINNING PITCHER: Stahler (1 inning, 2 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned, 2 walks, 1 strikeout) Other: K. Smeltzer
LOSING PITCHER: Poynter (0 innings, 0 hits, 1 run, 0 earned, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts) Other: Stewart, Nixon, Shockley
LEADING HITTERS: (North Central) St. John – double, 2 runs; Poynter – 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Fiser – single, 2 RBIs; Meyers – 2 singles; (Montpelier) M. Smeltzer – double, single, 2 runs; Fidler – 2 singles, 3 RBIs; Lyons – single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs