The Recorder on May 02, 2024
Bath’s Remington Gordon steals second ahead of the tag from Highland’s Zack Wright.
HOT SPRINGS — A big inning late sent the boys from Highland home with a six-inning win here last Wednesday.
Zach Armstrong and John Wagner limited Bath County to six hits and one unearned run, leading the Rams past the rival Chargers, 14-1.
The visitors put up four fourth-inning runs to lead 6-2, before eight in the sixth ended things early.
Armstrong got the job done on the mound and at the plate.
The sophomore left-hander scattered five hits over four-plus innings, struck out seven and walked two to run his mound record to 3-1 on the year. At the dish, he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, scored three runs and drove in one.
Wagner pitched the final two frames, allowing only an infield single and striking out four. The junior also launched his second home run of the year, a two-run shot to left-center in the fourth.
“This is a game we needed,” said HHS coach Cole Armstrong about his pitching strategy. “We’ve got Parry tomorrow, so we wanted to keep one of them under 25 (pitches). We were able to do that with John. We’re not for sure what we’re going to do tomorrow.”
Bath’s Nathan Hunt tags out Highland’s John Wagner at third.
Wagner’s long ball and a Wyatt Clevinger RBI single through the middle keyed the Rams’ four-run fourth. Highland was helped by five Bath County errors in their eight-run sixth.
Armstrong, Wagner and Eli Moore had RBI hits in the big frame and Zack Wright knocked in two with a single to right.
Armstrong’s three hits — two from Wagner and one each off the bats of Evan Kimble, Eli Moore, Elijah Good, Tristan Carpenter, Zack Wright and Clevinger — added up to 11 on the day for the winners.
“After the first inning or so, we had some big hits and were able to score some runs,” Armstrong said. “We made some defensive plays, but then we made some errors, too. We could have played a lot cleaner.”
The shorthanded Chargers were guilty of nine errors behind starting pitcher Remington Gordon.
Gordon, a freshman who had just three innings on the mound over Bath County’s first seven games, gutted out 5.1 innings, giving up 12 runs with only six being earned. He struck out eight and walked three. Cooper Lowry recorded the final two outs in the sixth.
Bath’s Bransen Gordon hauls in a pop fly. (Recorder photos by Gavin Dressler)
“Remi pitched good for us,” said Charger coach Matthew Altizer. “I told them we needed to make the plays behind him to keep his pitch count down. He was a little over 100 on that and probably should have been around 60.”
Owen Perdue, Nathan Hunt, Bransen Gordon, A.J. St. Clair, Ryan Ratcliffe and Marc Durney all had one hit each for the Chargers.
Braydon Rexrode scored the lone run for Bath in the home half of the third. He walked to lead off the inning and came around to score on Bransen Gordon’s RBI base hit to left.
“I’m down two players injured, two of my best pitchers actually (Issac Ingram and Jake Boguess), and I have one on suspension right now,” Altizer explained. “That hurts as well. We brought a couple JV players up today. The one in right field, Braydon Rexrode, got a walk, went around and scored a run and made a play in the field. You couldn’t ask for better from him.”
Highland’s Zach Armstrong steals third as Bath’s Nathan Hunt waits for the throw.
It’s a busy final couple weeks to the season for the Chargers.
“Up until today, we have played seven (games) and we’ve got eight in the next 13 days,” he said. “We’ve got over half our season in 13 days.”
Last Wednesday’s Linescore
Highland 200 408 – 14 11 2
Bath County 001 000 – 1 6 9
WP: Zach Armstrong (3-1);
LP: Remington Gordon (0-1)
HR: John Wagner (4th inning, 1 on)
Highland loses 3 straight
The Rams continued a busy stretch of their own, finishing a four-game in six-day gauntlet with a pair of losses to Parry Mc- Cluer, the Pioneer District leaders, and one to Eastern Montgomery.
Highland’s Elijah Good scores ahead of the tag from Bath County catcher Owen Perdue. (Recorder photos by Gavin Dressler)
The Blues were able to stop Highland on just four hits over two games, winning 11-0 in Monterey last Thursday and 11-1 in Buena Vista on Monday.
Braedyn Houck, 4-1 on the year, fired a one-hit complete-game and struck out 11 in Parry McCluer’s road win, while Peyton Ramsey and Tanner Coleman checked the Rams on three hits and one run on Monday, combining to strike out six and walk four.
Houck was 4-for-4 on Thursday, Coleman added four hits and three RBI and Jase Barger homered. In the home win, Aaron Pruett had three hits, scored twice and drove in two.
Carpenter had the only Ram hit against Houck in the first match-up, a two-out single in the fifth. Carpenter also stole two bases.
Wright started and took the loss on the mound, giving up nine hits and four earned runs over 4.2 innings. Moore and Good pitched in relief.
On Monday, Kimble, Wright and Clevinger accounted for the Ram hits. Moore reached on a fielder’s choice in the sixth inning, went first to third on a Wright single and scored on a passed ball for the only Highland run.
Zach Armstrong connects for a Highland double.
Armstrong started and suffered the loss on the mound, giving up six hits and five earned runs in 4.1 innings. Good and Wright pitched in relief.
In between the Parry McCluer games, the Rams hosted Eastern Montgomery on Saturday afternoon and lost a 3-1 decision.
Austin Tate pitched the victory for the Mustangs, limiting their hosts to four hits and striking out seven.
Caleb Jones had three of East Mont’s five hits.
Wagner pitched well in defeat, allowing just one earned run and striking out four.
“John pitched a great game,” said coach Armstrong. “We continue to struggle with our bats. We were knocking on the door — just couldn’t quite get it done.”
Wagner, Kimble, Moore and Clevinger had Highland hits. Moore scored in the fourth inning when he doubled and came home on a Clevinger sacrifice.
Wyatt Clevinger gets ready for the catch. (Photo courtesy Lori Humphries)
The Rams are now 6-7-1 on the year and are in fourth-place in the Pioneer District with a 3-5 record. Highland closes the regular season with a trip to Eastern Montgomery today and a home game against Bath County on Monday. A Friday trip to Tygarts Valley was canceled.
The Pioneer District tournament is scheduled to start next Friday. One win in the final two games would clinch a first-round home game for the Rams.
Last Thursday’s HHS Linescore
Parry McCluer 201 123 2 – 11 12 3
Highland 000 000 0 – 0 1 1
WP: Braedyn Houck; LP: Zack Wright
(0-1)
HR: Jase Barger (6th inning, 2 on)
Saturday’s HHS Linescore
Eastern Mont. 020 100 0 – 3 5 1
Highland 000 100 0 – 1 4 4
WP: Austin Tate; LP: John Wagner (3-2)
Monday’s HHS Linescore
Highland 000 001 – 1 3 3
Parry McCluer 014 132 – 11 9 0
WP: Peyton Ramsey; LP: Zach Armstrong
(3-2)
Chargers fall to Craig, Pendleton
The Chargers dropped to 1-9 on the year with a 13-2 loss to Craig County in New Castle last Thursday, and a 28-4 defeat at the hands of Pendleton on Monday.
Matthew Lucas and Hayden Reynolds combined to stop Bath County on four hits and strike out 10 in the Rockets district win.
Drew Duncan’s two-run homer in the home half of the first ignited the Craig offense and Reynolds had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs.
Cooper Lowry led Bath County with a two-run double in the fourth inning. Hunt, Perdue and Bransen Gordon also had hits for the Chargers,
Lowry took the mound loss and Perdue worked in relief.
Monday, Pendleton scored 10 times in the first inning, powered by home runs from both Chase Owens and James Vincell.
Allden Rexrode added another homer in the second and the Wildcats pounded out 20 hits in the game.
Owens led the way with three hits and seven RBI, while Caleb Armentrout had two hits and drove in four.
The winners used five pitchers, who combined to strike out 11 and walk six.
Remington Gordon, Hunt, Lowry and St. Clair had hits for Bath County, which scored its four runs in the bottom of the second.
Six Chargers pitched in the game — Perdue, Hunt, Lowry, Remington Gordon, Bransen Gordon and Colton Wilhelm. They struck out three and walked nine.
Bath County, which is 0-5 in Pioneer District games, has five league contests left. The schedule had the team home against Parry McCluer on Tuesday, home for a doubleheader with Narrows today, at Highland on Monday, and at home against Eastern Montgomery on Tuesday.
The Chargers will play a first-round game in the Pioneer District tournament next Friday.
Last Thursday’s BCHS Linescore
Bath County 002 00 – 2 4 1
Craig County 316 3x – 13 11 1
WP: Matthew Lucas; LP: Cooper Lowry
(0-2)
HR: Drew Duncan (1st inning, 1 on)
Monday’s BCHS Linescore
Pendleton (10)28 80 – 28 20 1
Bath County 040 00 – 4 4 6
WP: Cashton Kisamore; LP: Owen Perdue
(0-1)
HR: Chase Owens (1st inning, 2 on), James
Vincell (1st inning, 0 on), Allden Rexrode
(2nd inning, 1 on)