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4/20/2018
By Dan Manley
Advocate Sports Editor
The Montgomery County High School baseball team got a shot in the arm last Friday evening when they traveled to Harrison County and topped the Thorobreds, 4-2.
“It was certainly a nice win for us right now,” said Coach Chris Varney. “We missed some scoring chances but we scored enough to get a win and we pitched it pretty well and played defense. Overall, something we hope we can build on.”
The victory gave the Indians a 4-4 record heading into a week where they’ll spend all their time on the road.
If the Indians get to play all of the games on their schedule between now and then they’ll be back at home on April 26 to play West Carter following 11 consecutive road games.
Junior righthander Luke Fuller was the star at Cynthiana last Friday as he went the distance, allowing just five hits while striking out three and walking four.
Fuller improved his record to 2-0 with two saves so he’s figured in all four Indian wins in the pitching department thus far.
“Luke’s just such a competitor,” Varney said. “He’s going to try and find a way to beat you in anything he does.
“He’s not going to overpower people but he’s really good at locating pitches and finding ways to get people out.”
The Indians got on the board against Harrison County in the second inning when senior second baseman Aaron Toy led off with a double, took third on a groundout and scored on Laken Robertson’s liner to left.
The Tribe would add another run in the third Jay Eads singled with two outs and came around on a pair of stolen bases and a passed ball.
The two-run lead disappeared in the bottom of the third inning when Fuller gave up a double to Judy and a two-run homer to left off the bat of O’Neal.
But the Indians bounced right back in the fourth inning with Jake Sponcil drawing a walk and Robertson getting a single to begin the inning.
They moved up on a sacrifice by Tyler Jacobs and then scoring on a double by Braxton Hunley and a ground out.
That wrapped up the scoring, although the Indians had runners on in each of the final three innings.
Fuller retired eight in a row during one stretch, although the Thorobreds did get the tying run to the plate in each of the final two innings, though nobody got beyond second base.
Fuller finished with a five-hitter that included three strikeouts and four walks.
The Indians committed only one error.
Montgomery County out-hit Harrison County 9-5 with Robertson getting a pair of hits and Fuller collecting three, although he didn’t factor in any of the scoring.
Harrison County fell to 7-3 with the loss. The Thorobreds beat Montgomery County’s district rival, Clark County, two days before by a score of 13-5 at Cardinal Field in Winchester.
Bourbon County 6, MCHS 5
Five of the six runners who scored for the Colonels reached on either errors or being hit by a pitch as they topped the Tribe at Paris.
The game was the district opener for Bourbon County while the Indians fell to 1-1 in district play.
Montgomery County grabbed a quick lead when Laken Robertson led off the game with a single to left, was sacrificed to second by Tyler Jacobs, took third when Braxton Hunley reached on an infield hit and scored on Luke Fuller’s sacrifice bunt.
The Indians increased the lead to 3-0 in the second when Travis Toy singled with two outs and scored on a double by Jay Eads to right-center.
Robertson then singled to right to drive in Eads.
Bourbon County came back with a run in the bottom of the second on a run-scoring double by Dalton Curtis after Conner Johnson reached on a bases on balls.
The Colonels scored another run in the third when T.J. Whetstine was hit by a pitch and scored on a double by Jeremy Moran.
The game went to the bottom of the fourth with the Tribe still in front.
Then the Colonels used three walks, a hit batsman, two sacrifices and two singles to score four runs and take a 6-3 lead.
Montgomery County would counter with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings but left two men on in the fifth.
Robertson, with his third hit of the day, singled and scored in the fifth and Aaron Toy led off the sixth with a base hit and scored on a base hit by Jacobs with two outs.
The Indians out-hit the Colonels 11-8 but starter Tyler Jacobs and reliever Luke Fuller issued seven walks and hit two batters to make the game loaded with scoring opportunities.
Junior lefthander Blaine Snellen started for the Colonels and righty Jeremy Moran came on for the final four outs and picked up a save.
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