JV BASEBALL: ATHENS TOPS TIOGA IN 15-10 SLUGFEST (2024-04-25)

Valley Sports Report
ATHENS — Athens scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take control of early back-and-forth affair on its way to a 15-10 win over Tioga here Wednesday afternoon in non-league junior varsity baseball action.

Tioga took a 4-0 lead after the top of the first inning, with J. Varner’s two-run double the bit hit in the rally.

Athens answered with three runs in the home half of the inning in a rally that included an RBI double by Brady Flynn and an RBI single by Duncan Thetga.

Max Paugh and Brayden Lounsbury each had RBI singles as part of a three-run Tioga rally in the top of the second inning that pushed its lead to 7-3.

After scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second inning, the Wildcats added another run in the third inning on an RBI single by Lucas Greninger to close the gap to 7-5.

After Flynn struck out the side in order in the top of the fourth, the Wildcats took advantage of three walks, an error, two wild pitches, and a balk to score six runs in the bottom of the inning to take an 11-7 lead.  Karson Sipley led off the inning with a single, and Aidan Vanderpool stroke an RBI single.

Tioga loaded the bases with no outs in the top of fifth inning on a walk to Lounsbury, and singles by Shane Platukis, and Brayden MacWhinnie, but only scored one run — on a fielder’s choice groundout by Josh Rought to make it 11-8.

Athens answered with three runs in the home half of the inning to take a 14-8 lead in a rally that included singles by Sipley, Rodney Chapman, Zac Fisher, and Thetga.

Athens tacked on another run in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Chapman to stretch its lead to 15-8.

The Tigers scored two runs — and left the bases loaded — in the top of the seventh to provide the final margin.

Sipley stroked four singles, and scored four runs, and Thetga had three hits, two runs scored, and two RBI to pace Athens’ 18-hit attack, while Flynn doubled and singled, scored three runs, and drove in one run, Chapman singled twice, scored one run, and knocked in one run, and Fisher singled twice and scored one run.

Ryan Driesbaugh doubled in the win, while Kamdyn Wheeler singled, and scored two runs, Vanderpool singled, scored one run, and drove in one run, Greninger singled and knocked in one run, Noah Hobday added a single, and Colin Congdon scored one run.

Flynn earned the win, allowing one run on three hits, while striking out seven and walking two in 4 1/3 innings of relief.

Lounsbury had two hits, one run scored, and two RBI to pace Tioga’s six-hit attack, which benefitted from 13 base on balls, while Varner doubled, scored one run, and had three RBI, Paugh singled, scored one run, and drove in one run, and MacWhinnie and Platukis each added a single.

Rought and Kaiden Sindoni each scored three runs for the Tigers, and Gavin Kithcart scored one run. Rought also had an RBI.

Athens, now 4-1 on the season, returns to action Saturday at Towanda, while Tioga, now 1-4, travels to Whitney Point Friday.