LINDEN
– Baseball is quite often a game of momentum.
North
Montgomery had it early in their Sectional 25 semi-final matchup against
Frankfort, however, the Hot Dogs stole it in the bottom of fourth and held on
for a 5-4 win over the Chargers.
“You
have to give them credit, they hit the ball hard in the fourth inning and found
some gaps and jumped on us,” Charger skipper Matt Merica said. “They erased the
four run lead real quick.”
The
Chargers had momentum early as they scored one in the first on Jordan Lewis RBI
single which scored Devon Zachary, who singled to lead off the inning.
Gregory
Pietsch gave North a 3-0 lead on one swing of the bat in the second with a two-run
shot over the right-center fence that also scored Vince Gwynn.
They
tacked on one more in the third, as Baylee Adams doubled with one out and
scored to make it 4-0.
The
Hot Dogs, who didn’t have a hit in the first three innings, saw their bats come
alive in the fourth. They sent 11 to the plate in the inning scoring five runs
on six hits to take a 5-4 lead. Jarrod Smith finished the rally with a 2-RBI
single.
The
Chargers, who had nine hits in the game, would only get one more after that
fourth inning. Their best chance to tie it up came in the sixth as they loaded
the bases with two outs, but a fly out ended the threat.
“We
were able to get to him (Smith) early, and he settled down,” Merica said. “I thought
we hit the ball well this game. They just scored one more run than we did.”
Every
Charger had a base hit except for one. Jordan Lewis led the way for the offense
with two hits while Adams doubled and Pietsch hit the two-run homer.
Monday
marked the last game for six Charger seniors: Baylee Adams, Vince Gwynn, Jordan
Lewis, Riley Morehouse, Tucker Moseley, and Devon Zachary.
“Six
really good baseball players and kids,” Merica said of the group. “They have
the second most wins in a career, and tied the school record for wins in a
season.”
“They’re
a great group of kids who set the tone for future Charger teams,” he continued.
“I wish them nothing but the best as they move forward.”
Class
3A No. 10 North Montgomery sees their successful season come to a close at 24-6.