Hatchets bats explode against B-R
Apr. 7—MONTGOMERY — The Hatchets broke out of a scoring slump, as they had just three hits on Thursday, but still scraped out the win. However, the offense was on display Friday at Rademacher Field in a rescheduled game from Wednesday with Barr-Reeve. The Hatchets used 19 hits in an 8-3 win to move to 3-1 on the season.
Ole Kroeger had four hits for WHS, while Trey James, Braxton Nathan and Brody Clark had three each, while Sean Watkins had a big hit. Pitchers Jarit Williams and Kroeger limited the Vikes to just two hits and three runs from the mound.
"We came into this game after somehow being 2-1 with only three guys having averages and six guys,= batting .000. We just haven't been hitting and tonight we finally moved up and made that adjustment. They were wearing that outside corner of the plate out. That's physics, you can't pull that outside pitch and we stopped trying to, it became contagious. I'm so proud of these guys," said WHS coach Steve Reed. "We only have like two or three guys with any varsity experience, but the one thing that I've noticed about this team, they're scrappy and they fight. You know, they've got something underneath the shirt, and you can't teach that and I think that's why we're 3-1 right now. They just get out there and they fight."
Both Viking Seth Wagler and Williams looked strong in the first inning with Williams picking up three strikeouts and Wagler got three outs on ground balls. WHS did threaten in the second, with a double from Kroeger, but he was thrown out at third.
The Vikes rallied for a run in the bottom of the second after Jacob Paul doubled and scored on a double play to make it 1-0.
However, WHS got the run back after Hunter Walls reached on a error and scored after hits from James and Kroeger to tie it at 1-1.
The Hatchets then loaded the bases with no outs, as Sean Watkins, Nathan and Clark all reached, but Wagler picked up a strikeout and forced a double play to end the threat.
Williams was helped by a double play in his half of the fourth, but it was a double in the fifth from Watkins, with Kroeger and Williams on that gave the Hatchets a 3-1 lead.
A pair of errors and a hit batsman pushed B-R back to within one at 3-2, but B-R couldn't get another run across and stranded three.
Kendall Graber came on to relieve Wagler in the top of the sixth and although WHS had runners in first and third, Donnie Miller made two nice catches to snuff out the rally and keep it at 3-2.
Kroeger came on to pitch for WHS in the bottom of sixth and got two outs on just four pitches and quickly retired side.
WHS put game on ice with a two run homer from Nathan for the 13th hit of the game and a 5-2. WHS tacked on two more hits and B-R brought in Colton Stoll and WHS was able to load the bases and then score two more runs, before Kroeger reached on an error to allow the eighth run to cross the plate.
Two Hatchet errors led to runners on first and third in the bottom of the inning and a third error scored Shane Graber and made it 8-3, which is how the game would end.
WHS travels to Jennings County on Saturday.