PLAY AT SECOND … Montpelier catcher Lyla Mahan slides safely into second base during Friday night’s district final. VIEW 136 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
BRYAN (May 17, 2024) – One of the toughest things to do in sports, especially at the high school level, is beat the same team three times in a season.
That proved true on Friday night at Recreation Park in Bryan as Montpelier avenged two regular season losses to Hilltop with a 6-4 win, clinching their first district title since 2004 and just the second in program history.
Third seeded Montpelier plated a run in the first inning as a Hilltop error on a Lyla Mahan grounder put her at second and a sacrifice by Jada Uribes moved her to third.
Hilltop starter Kelsy Connolly then struck out Kelsie Bumb, but Madelyn Hopper followed with RBI single to center, scoring Mahan, and a 1-0 lead for the Locos.
Mahan again reached on an error to lead off the top of the third and would end up at third after an Uribes sacrifice bunt.
Bumb and Hopper then delivered back-to-back doubles to push the lead to 3-0 before Connolly would get a flyout and groundout to end the frame.
Hilltop began to climb back in the fourth inning thanks to singles from Connolly and Sophia Crossgrove and Connolly eventually stole home with two outs to get the Cadets on the board.
Hilltop would tie the game in the fifth as a one-out double by Halle Jones and a two-out walk to Joscelyn Layman set the stage for a pinch-hit single from Shea Brown to bring in two runs and tie things at 3-3.
Montpelier retook the lead in the sixth as a Bella Ramos single to right greeted new Hilltop pitcher Giada Rising, and a walk by Neriah Thorp put two aboard.
Rising retired the next two Loco hitters on backward Ks but Mahan reached on an error for the third time in the game, scoring Ramos from third, to put Montpelier back in front 4-3.
Montpelier added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh as Hopper singled to center and Shelby Terry, a courtesy runner for Hopper, scored on an error as a Bella Ramos single was misplayed to make it 5-3.
A Thorp single and then a Henna Beck groundout put runners at second and third with two away and Ramos would score on a passed ball for a 6-3 lead.
Hilltop threatened in their final at bat as a Jones hit to center led to two Montpelier errors and Jones advanced to third on the play.
Jones would score on a passed ball during Brooklyn Kuszmaul’s at bat that ended with a strikeout, Layman grounded out to second base, but a single to center by Brown with two outs kept the inning alive.
Hopper would end it at that point by grabbing a soft popup by Connolly for the final out.
Along with her three-hit night at the plate, Hopper went the distance for Montpelier, recording 10 strikeouts.
Jones totaled three hits for the Cadets with Crossgrove and Brown each adding two apiece.
Montpelier, who has now set a school record for wins in a season, will face Monroeville (21-6) in the Division IV regional semifinals at Rossford on Wednesday, May 22 at 5pm.
MONTPELIER 102 001 2 – 6 10 2
HILLTOP 000 120 1 – 4 8 5
Records: Montpelier 17-7, Hilltop 23-6
WINNING PITCHER: Hopper (7 innings, 8 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, 10 strikeouts, 2 walks)
LOSING PITCHER: Connolly (5 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 earned, 6 strikeouts, 1 walk) OTHER: Rising
LEADING HITTERS: (Montpelier) Bumb – double, single, RBI; Hopper – double, 2 singles, 2 RBIs; (Hilltop) Jones – double, 2 singles, 2 runs; Brown – 2 singles, 2 RBIs; Crossgrove – 2 singles, RBI
