By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WEST UNITY (April 4, 2025) – In years, Toby Hutchison’s Montpelier Locos may be still somewhat young. In experience they show an unwavering maturity.
After a series of early defensive miscues that gave Hilltop a two-run lead, the Locos remained undaunted and rallied in the last three innings to score a 4-3 win on a rainy night in West Unity.
“We have a lot of experienced kids, young, experienced kids,” Hutchison said. “These guys have been starting since they have been freshmen, so we don’t get too excited about it (regarding the early errors). Later in the game we started to figure it out offensively.”
“We talk about it, having patience at the plate, having a good two-strike approach, these guys want to win and do whatever it takes, and they buy into it all the way.”
Three of the previously mentioned Loco miscues came in the very first inning. Devin Dempsey reached on a wide throw at first, went to second on a wild pitch, then advanced to third on a throwing error after a caught fly ball in center.
Cameron Shimp walked with two down, and advanced to second on a defensive indifference, and both runners came home on Zander Runkel’s base hit to put the Cadets up 2-0.
Montpelier got one back in the second off Cadet starter Brennan Dempsey to chop the margin in half. CJ Fidler served a single to center, and after a walk, Tyler Plourde’s bunt single loaded the bases with one down.
Griffin Cooley drew a bases loaded walk to force in a run, but Dempsey struck out the next two hitters to escape further damage.
Hilltop got that run back in the third, again in part to a Loco error. Devin Dempsey led off with a single, moved up on a wild pitch, took third when Fidler muffed a fly ball, and scored on Terry Rebeck’s sac fly for a 3-1 Cadet lead.
From that point, Hilltop got just two more on base the rest of the night. Wesley Hartsock relieved starter Hayden Sharps and shut out the Cadets until the seventh on just one hit.
Meanwhile, the Locos rallied to tie in the fifth. Walks to Kenneth Smeltzer and Hartsock, a throwing error on Smeltzer’s stolen base along with a defensive indifference put runners at second and third for Jaxon Stahler.
Stahler delivered with a one-out base hit that marked both runners to knot the game 3-3 and end the day for Brennan Dempsey.
“Same kind of approach we were talking about before,” Hutchison explained of Stahler’s big hit. “Great two-strike approach and put the ball in play.’
“Hilltop is a good team, and we knew that coming in, we haven’t had very good weather, so it’s great we can get the games in right now.”
Cameron Shimp worked a 1-2-3 sixth but Sharps singled to open the seventh and stole second then third.
With one down, Hartsock did what experienced players do, loft a fly ball that was deep enough to send Sharps home with the go-ahead run. Smeltzer worked the seventh in 1-2-3 fashion to lock up the Loco win.
“We are trying to work all of our pitchers, not having a lot of games so far,” Hutchison expressed of the threesome of pitchers that went to the mound.
“So, we are trying to work them by pitch count and as the season goes on we can lengthen them out a little. The guys that threw tonight did a great job.”
The trio of Loco pitchers held Hilltop to four hits on the day and walked just one in the last five innings.
MHS 010 020 1 – 4 5 4
HHS 201 000 0 – 3 4 1
Records: MHS 2-0, HHS 1-2
WINNING PITCHER: Hartsock (4 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts) Other: Sharps, Smeltzer
LOSING PITCHER: Shimp (2.2 innings, 1 run, 1 earned, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts) Other: Dempsey
LEADING HITTERS: (Montpelier) Stahler – 2 singles, 2 RBIs; (Hilltop) Runkel – single, 2 RBIs