NTL JUNIOR HIGH BASEBALL: ATHENS SWEEPS SAYRE DOUBLEHEADER IN VASTLY DIFFERENT WAYS (2024-04-26)

Valley Sports Report
SAYRE —  Athens swept a doubleheader from Sayre, but did it in drastically different ways — winning the first game in a 22-1 blowout, and holding on for a 9-8 win in the second here Thursday in NTL junior high baseball action at Riverfront Park.

Athens 22, Sayre 1
Athens poured 15 runs across the plate in the top of the first inning en route to a 22-1 three-inning win over Sayre in the first game of the doubleheader.

The Wildcats sent 19 batters to the plate in the first inning, benefitting from six base on balls, and three Sayre errors, but also had six hits.

Ty Owen had two hits, and an RBI in the rally, while Shea Davidson, and Levis Fritsch each had two-RBI singles, and Hunter VanDerpoel, and Hunter Holton each added RBI singles.

After Athens hurler Nolan Raupers retired the Redskins in order in the bottom of the first inning, Athens added four runs in the second inning in a rally that featured two-run singles by Peter Bertsch and Holton to make it 19-0.

VanDerpoel drove in two runs with a single in the top of the third inning, and Kade Rowe also had an RBI single to make it 22-0.

Jayden Morningstar led off the bottom of the third inning with a double, and later scored on a passed ball to put the Redskins on the board.

Raupers earned the win for the Wildcats, allowing one unearned run on one hit, while striking out one and walking one in three innings.

Holton had two hits, two runs scored, and four RBI, Vanderpoel singled twice, scored two runs, and drove in two runs, and Owen singled twice, scored two runs, and knocked in one run to pace Athens’ 10-hit attack.

Cartyr Cockcroft scored three runs, and had one RBI in the win, while Bertsch had one hit and two RBI, Fritsch singled, scored two runs, and had two RBI, Davidson singled, scored one run, and drove in two runs, Easton Paul scored three runs, and Cy Yeager crossed the plate twice.

Athens 9, Sayre 8
Sayre plated five runs in the top of the fifth inning, but had the would-be tying run picked off third base to stall the rally in a 9-8 loss to Athens in the second game of the twinbill.

Sayre, playing as the visiting team, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Riley McGaughey and Blake Zingeser.

The Wildcats tied the game with an unearned run in the home half of the first, and added two more unearned runs — one on an RBI single by Jacob Saxon — in the second inning to take a 3-1 lead.

The Redskins closed the gap to 3-2 with a run in the top of the third inning. Brayden Northrup singled with one out, and scored later in the inning on a groundout off the bat of Tucker Green.

Athens extended the lead to 7-2 with a four-run rally in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a two-run single by Cy Yeager.

Paul Potter’s RBI single in the top of the fourth trimmed the deficit to 7-3, but Athens answered with two more runs on a two-run single by Theron May to make it 9-3.

Northrup reached on an error lead off the top of the fifth inning, and Green followed with a single to left field.

With one out, Zingeser walked to load the bases. Moments later, Northrup scooted home on a wild pitch, then Carson Dietz was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases.

After a passed ball made it 9-5, and infield error allowed two more Sayre runs to score to close the gap to 9-7.

Sayre added another run on a wild pitch to make it 9-8, and had runners on second and third after back-to-back walks, when Athens reliever Shea Davidson picked off a runner at third base for the second out.

After walking the batter at the plate at the tim of the pickoff, Davidson retired the next batter to preserve the win.

Graham Steinfelt singled twice, and Saxon, Yeager, and May each singled and had two RBI to pace Athens’ six-hit attack, while Davidson singled and scored two runs, Griffin Smith scored two runs, and Cartyr Wells, Paul, and Blake Bowman each crossed the plate once.

Saxon started for the Wildcats, allowing one run on two hits, while striking out three and walking one in two innings, while Yeager allowed two runs — one earned — on two hits, with two strikeouts and two walks in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Davidson closed out the game, allowing five runs — none earned — on one hit and four walks, while striking out two.

Potter singled, scored one run, and had three RBI to lead Sayre at the plate, while Zingeser doubled, scored two runs, and drove in one run, and Northrup singled, scored two runs, and knocked in one run.

McGaughey doubled and scored a run for the Redskins, while Green singled, scored one run, and knocked in one run, and Dietz and Zach Hall each scored one run.

Potter was tagged with the loss, allowing seven runs — three earned — on four hits, while striking out three and walking four in 3 1/3 innings of work.

Caleb Vaupotic allowed two runs on two hits, while striking out one and walking one in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Athens, now 2-1, returns to action Monday at Wellsboro, while Sayre, now 2-4, travels to North Penn-Mansfield.