(April 9th, 2015) – BRYAN: Montpelier suffered their first loss in North Western Ohio Athletic League play when they took on the Golden Bears on Thursday, April 9.
The Locomotives lost to Bryan 19-1.
The Locos fell behind 5-0 in the early innings of the contest. Things didn’t get an easy from their for the Montpelier boys, either. Over the next three innings, the Bears would score another 14 runs. With the Locomotives only able to score 1 run in retaliation, the game was called after 5 innings of play.
With just 3 hits throughout the contest, the Montpelier offense simply couldn’t get things going against the Golden Bears. Bryan had no such troubles, totaling 15 hits against the Loco defense. The visiting boys also made 3 errors on the day, compared to the unblemished defensive performance of Bryan. When one team plays a bit messy, and the other pristine, it is difficult to overcome that gap and earn a victory.
Jared Shoup, a senior for Montpelier, had a solid day from the plate in the loss. He went 2 for 2 while in the batter’s box, knocking in an RBI while hitting for 2 singles. Sophomore Colin Rockey also hit for a single. He would make the most of his opportunity on the bases, eventually crossing home plate to give the Locomotives their lone run of the contest.
Montpelier also went through several pitchers over the course of the loss, as five Locomotive boys took to the mound. Hunter McKelvey started the game, suffering the defeat on his record. The senior pitched for 2 innings, giving up 14 earned runs on 11 hits. He also struck out a batter. Among those who came in to relieve McKelvey was Shoup, who pitched for 1 inning. In that span, he gave up just 1 earned run off of 1 hit.