The Northmor Golden Knights improved to 4-0 on the young season, beating KMAC rival Mount Gilead in a pair of tightly contested battles including one that ended with a walk-off RBI single by Garrett Harvey.
Northmor 2, Mount Gilead 1
It took until the ninth inning, but the Northmor baseball team beat Mount Gilead 2-1 when Harvey sent a single to right that scored Jack Bowdre for a walk-off victory on April 1.
Mount Gilead got on the board in the first inning when Cam Vickers smashed a double, driving in Wyatt Young.
Northmor tied the game in the third inning when Drew Hammond knocked in Grant Bentley, who had earlier advanced to third on a wild pitch.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the ninth when Northmor came to bat. Bowdre led off the inning with a walk, and then Bentley drilled a single to right to send Bowdre to third. After Cole Frick struck out Cole Cuffman swinging, Bowdre remained at third and Bentley at second with one out. Hammond drew a four pitch walk to load the bases, and in the next at bat Harvey knocked home Bowdre to win the game.
Northmor had a strong day of pitching, with Bentley starting the game going five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits and three walks, while striking out five. Trevor Brubaker came in to pitch four innings of two hit relief ball to get the win, allowing no runs and two walks, while striking out seven.
Harvey went 3-for-5 with the game winning RBI, and Bentley was 3-for-5 with a run scored.
Mount Gilead’s Gage Baker went eight innings, allowing nine hits, one unearned run and two walks, while striking out nine. Fricke took the loss, allowing an earned run, two hits, and two walks, while striking out one.
The Indian offense was led by Vickers, who was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Kaden St. Clair went 2-for-4 on the day, as well.
Northmor 5, Mount Gilead 2
Two days later, Mount Gilead hosted Northmor and it was another close matchup, but the Golden Knights came away with a 5-2 win.
Northmor got on the board in the top of the first when Harvey hit an RBI single. Mount Gilead went up 2-1 in the bottom half inning, when Vickers hit a hard ground ball that was misplayed. He reached on the error and Hayden Somerlot and St. Clair came around to score.
Northmor tied the game 2-2 in the third inning on a solo shot by Hammonds to centerfield. In the top of the fourth inning, Northmor’s Harvey reached on a dropped third strike, which also scored Bowdre and advanced Cuffman. After a Brubaker walk, Bryce Cooper singled to left to drive in two runs.
Hammond was dominant for the Golden Knights on the mound, going all seven innings, striking out 12 and allowing two hits, two walks and two runs with only one earned.
Offensively Hammond was 1-for-4 with the solo shot. Harvey went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, and Cooper was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Hayden Pangborn got the loss, but also pitched fairly well. He allowed five runs, but only one earned, seven hits, four walks and struck out five. Somerlot and Vickers had the two hits for the Indians.
