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 The Toppers pounded out a season-high 15 hits in support of winning
pitcher Blake Collier. Blake Collier (1-1) pitched four innings and
allowed only two hits before being relieved on the mound by Beau
Collier. Blake Collier also helped himself at the plate by smacking
two singles and a double while driving in three runs. Brayden Curry
started the Toppers offense with a first-inning single and after
Michael Lowery was hit by a pitch, Beau Collier crushed an RBI
single. Matt Amidon and Brett Huff followed up with singles and the
Toppers had a 4-0 lead right off the bat.
In the top of the second inning Blake Collier walked and Curry
reached on an error setting up Lowery to crush a two-run triple to
left-center. Lowery came home to score on Beau Collier's ground out
and the Toppers were cruising 7-0 after just two innings. Mount
Pulaski continued the hit parade in the third inning as Will Stewart
led off with a single and took second on a wild pitch. Stewart then
scored on a single by Eli Griesheim, who also came around to score
when Blake Collier tagged a double to right-center. Curry was then
hit by a pitch and Lowery wasted no time hitting a single up the
middle to score both Collier and Curry. After Beau Collier walked,
Amidon doubled, scoring Lowery. Beau Collier also came home to score
as the ball rolled into the Cougar's dugout. The Toppers were not
finished in the inning yet as Huff connected for yet another RBI
single to make the score 14-0. As the inning came to a close on a
bases-loaded strikeout by Curry, the Toppers had batted around and
then some and managed to put up a lucky 7 runs on the scoreboard.
From the smiles seen in the dugout, it was evident the Toppers were
enjoying playing in the warm sunshine of Central Illinois on this
beautiful afternoon of baseball. On the mound Blake Collier was
tagged for two quick singles to open the Illini Central half of the
third inning, but a strikeout and two pop-ups later and the senior
pitcher still had the shutout going. Blake Collier worked an even
quicker 1-2-3 fourth inning thanks to the Toppers errorless defense
on the day.
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Mount Pulaski added two runs in the top of the fifth as Aaron
Durchholz was hit by a pitch, Will Stewart walked and Blake Collier
had his third hit on the afternoon, a two-run single to make the
score 16-0.
Tallying up the offense for the Toppers, Blake Collier and Brett
Huff led the offensive attack with three hits each. Curry, Lowery
and Amidon contributed two hits in the winning effort and Beau
Collier, Stewart and Griesheim all had one hit apiece.
The losing pitcher for the Cougars was Cody Curry.
The Toppers improve their record to 2-4 and will take on Tri-City
this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in Buffalo. Michael Lowery is scheduled
to take the mound for the Toppers.
[Teena Lowery]
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