Northmor Golden Knights took on a tough Russia squad in the Regional Semifinals of the Division IV baseball tournament, and while Drew Hammond had a solid day at the dish, they fell 6-2 to end their season at 23-8.
Russia went up 2-0 to start the game, but Northmor scored a run in the first inning when Cole Cuffman swiped home to cut the lead to one. The Raiders added three more runs in the second inning, and another in the seventh.
Northmor had one last chance in the final frame, when Nick Armrose drew a walk to lead off. The with one out, Grant Bentley reached on an error, and pinch runner Caiden Martinez got to second. Cuffman walked to load the bases for their big bat Hammond. Hammond put the ball in the air to centerfield, but the runners held. Billy Bowlin then drove a single to centerfield to knock home a run, but Russia was able to secure the final out and move onto the Regional Finals.
"We got off to a rough start but hung around and had traffic on every inning," said Coach Buck Workman. "We just couldn’t get that big hit."
Northmor was led by Hammond, who went 2-for-4. Cuffman walked twice and scored a run on the stolen base. He was also hit by a pitch. Bowlin had the only other hit, and the team’s only RBI. Armrose reached on a pair of walks.
It was a rocky start for Trevor Brubaker, who allowed five earned runs over three and one-third innings in the loss. He gave up eight hits and a walk, while striking out four.
Bentley pitched three and two-thirds innings of relief, allowing an earned run on four hits, while striking out two.
The Golden Knights also took on Clear Fork in a battle of district champions, for what was an game leading up to Regionals that counted towards the regular season.
The Colts came away with a 5-4 win in walk-off fashion, when Mason Sansom drove in two runs in the bottom of the seventh down by a run.
Northmor was led by Hammond and Bentley, who were both 2-for-4 with an RBI. Hammond also scored a run and one of his hits was a triple. Brubaker doubled and drove in a par of runs, while also scoring. Garrett Harvey was 1-for-3 with a walk.
The Golden Knights used six pitchers In the game, with Hammond starting and going an inning, while striking out one and walking one. Combined the team allowed seven hits, five earned runs and five walks, while striking out five.
Workman was pleased with the overall success of the team this season, saying that he knew going in that they were a team built on pitching and defense.
"We’re happy with what we accomplished this season on the whole," Workman said. "You always want more but in the end, this group of seniors won a lot of games. Grant Bentley, Drew Hammond, Trevor Brubaker and Bryce Cooper were our main dudes on the mound. They always gave us a chance. Grant and Drew are both All-Ohio guys and Trevor should be this year. Honestly, aside from our pitching we had someone new each night step up and have a big AB or defensive play. Really a team effort. Cole Cuffman at second base and Jack Bowdre at first base were solid all year with the bats and gloves. Caiden Martinez in centerfield is probably our defensive POY."
