PAIR OF HITS … Kenneth Smeltzer had a pair of hits for the Locos in a 4-1 regional semifinal win over McComb.
PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
ACES ON THE MOUND … Montpelier junior Wesley Hartsock shutdown the McComb hitters by allowing just one run on three hits and tallied 10 strikeouts. VIEW PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
BOWLING GREEN (June 3, 2026) — On a day where the folks in Bowling Green’s Carter Park press box had problems figuring out everything from players in the starting lineups to the correct numbers on the scoreboard, there was nothing wrong with Montpelier’s Wesley Hartsock.
The junior right-hander fired six innings of no-hit ball before eventually settling for a three-hitter in a 4-1 victory over McComb in a Division VII regional semifinal.
The Locos (19-6) play Leipsic at Carter Park today for a shot at heading to the state final four next week.
“Wesley Hartsock was spot on,” Loco coach Toby Hutchison expressed. “He gave up his first hit in the last inning. He was around the zone the whole time and it was just a fantastic performance. It gives us an opportunity tomorrow.”
To say that Hartsock was nearly unhittable in the first six innings would be an understatement.
He retired the first 12 Panther hitters who came to the plate before he hit Jace Wartgow with a pitch leading off the fifth.
The only other McComb runner who got to first base prior to the seventh inning reached on Kenneth Smeltzer’s error in the sixth.
Outside of that, Hartsock struck out nine and did not walk a hitter in the first six innings.
Offensively, Montpelier took advantage of a pair of McComb errors to put three unearned runs on the board against starter Brayden Welty.
Two of those came in the second inning, which gave Hartsock all the runs he needed. A walk, Smeltzer’s bunt single, and a force play put Locos at first and third with one out.
A defensive indifference allowed the runner at first to take second with two out, a play that came up huge when C.J. Fidler’s grounder went through Kahle Drown’s legs for an error that plated both runners, giving Montpelier a 2-0 lead.
A third unearned run came to roost in the fourth. Smeltzer singled to lead off the frame, went to second on a bunt, then reached third on a second error by Drown, a throw that pulled the first baseman off the bag on Hayden Sharps’ bouncer.
Rather than a runner at third and two outs, there was just one, making Fidler’s fly ball a run-scoring sacrifice fly that made it 3-0.
“All year it’s been like that, you know how we play,” Hutchison said of the Locos taking advantage of McComb miscues.
“We are going to try to take advantage of everything we can. They bobbled the one and it cost them and gave us a couple runs and gave us momentum.”
Smeltzer again was in the middle of a run-scoring inning in the sixth when he walked, stole second, went to third on a groundout and scored on Sharps’ fly ball.
McComb (15-13-2) put together its only rally of the night in the seventh. Cameron Smith and Wartgow each singled around a fly ball out to place Panthers at first and second.
Camden Swain’s grounder into the hole eluded Smeltzer for a run-scoring single before Hartsock got a strikeout and force play to end the game.
The combo of Welty and Luke Kern gave up just three hits and one earned run on the day, the same numbers as what Hartsock allowed
But the McComb defense gave the Locos second-chance opportunities which they cashed in on. The sacrifice flies from Fidler and Sharps were the only two RBIs for Loco hitters.
MHS 000 000 1 – 1 3 3
MONT 020 101 x – 4 3 1
WP- Wesley Hartsock (IP-7, R-1, H-3, K-10, BB-0)
LP- Brayden Welty (IP-4, R-3, H-3, K-1, BB-1)
LEADING HITTERS: (Montpelier) Kenneth Smeltzer – 2 singles. (McComb) Camden Swain – single, RBI.
PAIR OF HITS … Kenneth Smeltzer had a pair of hits for the Locos in a 4-1 regional semifinal win over McComb.
PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
ACES ON THE MOUND … Montpelier junior Wesley Hartsock shutdown the McComb hitters by allowing just one run on three hits and tallied 10 strikeouts. VIEW PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
