Erick Starkey/News
Fredericktown senior Clem Cunningham fouls off a pitch Wednesday in a 6-3 Freddie win over Northmor. View more photos
FREDERICKTOWN — With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Fredericktown’s Nick Cunningham, who came in to pitch an out earlier, sealed the deal with a strikeout to give the Freddies a 6-3 home win over Northmor.
“If we were going to get in any trouble right there, we were going to go right to him to give us our best chance to win there,” Fredericktown coach Ryan Hathaway said. “We’re pretty confident when he’s up there. He’s got a good defense behind him and he’s going to throw a lot of strikes, so we’re just hoping for the best in that situation.”
Jake Partington started the top of the seventh by forcing Conor Becker into a flyout, before Northmor’s Wyatt Reeder got on by a walk and Ryland Thomas was hit, bringing the tying run to the plate. Cunningham was called on to pitch for the final two outs. Mostyn Evans popped up into foul territory for the second out of the inning, before Hunter Mariotti singled to load the bags, before Cunningham recorded the final out.
Caleb Sheriff started on the rubber for the Freddies, allowing an RBI-single to Evans, which plated Reeder and gave the Knights an early lead. Fredericktown quickly rebounded in the bottom of the frame, with Cunningham and Brady Williams both scoring in the frame to give the home team a 2-1 lead.
Brayden Black knotted the game at 2 after scoring on a missed pickoff attempt in the top of the second, but Sheriff ended the inning with a strikeout. Black handled business in Northmor’s defensive half of the inning, recording two strikeouts and forcing a flyout to quickly get the Knights back to the plate.
Sheriff settled in on the mound, and after giving up a leadoff double, racked up three-straight outs to end the scoring chance. The Freddies broke the tie in the third, notching three runs. Cunningham scored all the way from second on a wild pickoff attempt and Williams was not far behind, touching home after a passed ball. Ty Hatfield scored on an RBI single from Lincoln Cunningham. Reeder came in to pitch with two outs and the bases loaded, and he was able to stop the bleeding, forcing a flyout.
Sheriff again took care of business in the fourth with three-straight Knight outs.
“The middle innings were big for him to keep his pitch count low,” Hathaway said. “Those middle innings, he was throwing a lot of strikes and letting his defense do the work.”
In the bottom of the fourth, Nick Cunningham scored again on a wild pitch to push the edge to 6-2 heading into the fifth. Thomas scored in the fifth to bring the Knights to within three, but that was as close as they could get. The team had a runner aboard in the sixth with one out, but Clem Cunningham erased any scoring opportunity. He got full extension to grab a shot over his head, then made the throw to first for a double-play, after the runner did not tag up.
“He’s a good player and a guy that we count on to make plays and those are the types of plays that we’ve got to be able to make and make them consistently,” Hathaway said. “Defensively, he was excellent today.”
Nick Cunningham led the Freddies with two hits, including a double, and three runs. Hatfield, Lincoln Cunningham and Zach Vogelsang each had a base knock. Sheriff pitched five innings in his first career varsity start and allowed three hits and a walk, while fanning five. Partington pitched 1 1/3 innings with one hit and a walk, while Nick Cunningham pitched two outs, one of which was a strikeout.
Chris Bood and Mariotti each had two hits on the day, with Mariotti recording a double, while Evans also had a single. Reeder drew two walks on the night. Black started for the Knights, leading 2 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, a walk and two hit batters, while notching three strikeouts. Reeder fanned two in his 3 1/3 innings of relief, with a hit and three walks to his credit.
The two teams split the series and Fredericktown now sits at 2-1 on the young season. The Freddies return to action today on the road against Johnstown with a 5 p.m. first pitch.
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Caleb Sheriff started on the rubber for the Freddies, allowing an RBI-single to Evans, which plated Reeder and gave the Knights an early lead. Fredericktown quickly rebounded in the bottom of the frame, with Cunningham and Brady Williams both scoring in the frame to give the home team a 2-1 lead.
Erick Starkey/News
Fredericktown sophomore Caleb Sheriff sends a pitch toward home plate in his first varsity start on the mound Wednesday in a 6-3 win over Northmor.
Brayden Black knotted the game at 2 after scoring on a missed pickoff attempt in the top of the second, but Sheriff ended the inning with a strikeout. Black handled business in Northmor’s defensive half of the inning, recording two strikeouts and forcing a flyout to quickly get the Knights back to the plate.
Sheriff settled in on the mound, and after giving up a leadoff double, racked up three-straight outs to end the scoring chance. The Freddies broke the tie in the third, notching three runs. Cunningham scored all the way from second on a wild pickoff attempt and Williams was not far behind, touching home after a passed ball. Ty Hatfield scored on an RBI single from Lincoln Cunningham. Reeder came in to pitch with two outs and the bases loaded, and he was able to stop the bleeding, forcing a flyout.
Sheriff again took care of business in the fourth with three-straight Knight outs.
“The middle innings were big for him to keep his pitch count low,” Hathaway said. “Those middle innings, he was throwing a lot of strikes and letting his defense do the work.”
In the bottom of the fourth, Nick Cunningham scored again on a wild pitch to push the edge to 6-2 heading into the fifth. Thomas scored in the fifth to bring the Knights to within three, but that was as close as they could get. The team had a runner aboard in the sixth with one out, but Clem Cunningham erased any scoring opportunity. He got full extension to grab a shot over his head, then made the throw to first for a double-play, after the runner did not tag up.
“He’s a good player and a guy that we count on to make plays and those are the types of plays that we’ve got to be able to make and make them consistently,” Hathaway said. “Defensively, he was excellent today.”
Nick Cunningham led the Freddies with two hits, including a double, and three runs. Hatfield, Lincoln Cunningham and Zach Vogelsang each had a base knock. Sheriff pitched five innings in his first career varsity start and allowed three hits and a walk, while fanning five. Partington pitched 1 1/3 innings with one hit and a walk, while Nick Cunningham pitched two outs, one of which was a strikeout.
Chris Bood and Mariotti each had two hits on the day, with Mariotti recording a double, while Evans also had a single. Reeder drew two walks on the night. Black started for the Knights, leading 2 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, a walk and two hit batters, while notching three strikeouts. Reeder fanned two in his 3 1/3 innings of relief, with a hit and three walks to his credit.
The two teams split the series and Fredericktown now sits at 2-1 on the young season. The Freddies return to action today on the road against Johnstown with a 5 p.m. first pitch.
