High School Boys Baseball
Hilltoppers hit the long ball as the team continues winning streak
Mount Pulaski improves to 16-1 on the season

 

[April 24, 2023] 

Monday, April 17, 2023

The Hilltoppers jumped all over the Riverton Hawks early to start the week and ended up winning 15-5 in five innings.

Mount Pulaski scored five times in the first inning on the Hawk’s new baseball field. A double by Evan Cooper plated the first run of the game. After Cooper scored the second run of the game on an error, Jackson Fricke hit a two-run shot to give the Hilltoppers a 4-0 lead. Chance Payne followed Fricke with a solo shot over the right field fence and the lead was a solid 5-0 for Mount Pulaski.

The Hilltoppers went crazy in the second inning, scoring seven times here. Evan Cooper joined the home run hit parade with his two-run shot to left field. Payne earned another RBI in the game with his run scoring single to right field. The Hilltoppers lead was 10-1 after runs came home via two errors. A.J. Bailey made the score 12-1 on a double to center field that scored Eric Cooper and Kolin Gibbs.

Luke Martin’s RBI double in the third inning allowed the lead to increase to 13-1.

Clay Aylesworth added a home run in the top of the fifth inning. Aylesworth’s two-run shot scored Martin and Mount Pulaski was crushing the Hawks, 15-1 the score.

The Hawks plated four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Mount Pulaski was able to escape Riverton early with a 15-5 victory.

Gavin Smith earned the win for the Hilltoppers. He worked four innings, allowing one run on two hits. He struck out nine batters and walked three batters.

Liam Smith worked an inning in relief. He allowed four runs on three hits, while striking out one batter and walking two batters.

The Hilltoppers pounded out 13 hits.

A.J. Bailey, Evan Cooper, Landon Smith and Chance Payne each recorded multi-hits in the game.

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

The Heyworth Hornets got to starting pitcher Luke Martin early on, scoring four runs in two innings off the freshman, but Martin would get even in the end and the Hilltoppers would board the bus and leave town with a 10-5 win in the books.

The Hilltoppers chipped away at the lead in the middle innings, before breaking out for six runs in the sixth inning.

In the top of the third inning, Mount Pulaski got on the board on an RBI single by Landon Smith. A sacrifice fly by Jackson Fricke cut the lead in half, 4-2 the score.

Bailey batted in a run in the top of the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly to trim the lead to 4-3.

The Hornets tallied a run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

A solo home run in the top of the fifth inning by Luke Martin kept Mount Pulaski in the game. Martin sent a 3-2 count over the left field fence for his first high school home run for the Hilltoppers.

The Hilltoppers tied the game 5-5 in the top of the sixth inning as Landon Smith singled and Bailey scored on the throw. With two outs and two runners on base, Payne drew a walk for Mount Pulaski and this put Martin in the batter’s box with the bases full of Hilltoppers. Martin would clear those bases with one big swing, but not before going down 0-2 in the count and then taking a ball and then fouling one off before hitting the sweet spot and sending the baseball flying out of the park again. His second home run of the game was a grand slam that broke the 5-5 tie and with Cooper, Smith, Payne and the rest of the Hilltoppers team waiting at home plate for Martin to score, the game was quickly in Mount Pulaski’s favor. Before the inning was over, Liam Smith would tag a double to center field, scoring Clay Aylesworth and making the score 10-5.

The Hornets were shut down in the final two innings with A.J. Bailey on the mound.

Bailey would pick up the win, tossing five innings in relief of Martin. Bailey allowed one run on one hit. He struck out seven batters and walked five batters.

Martin lasted two innings, giving up four runs on three hits. He did not walk a single batter and struck out four batters.

Friday, April 21, 2023

Mount Pulaski used a six-run second inning to put the Southeast Spartans away early and capture an 8-4 win.

After scoring a run in the first inning on a wild pitch, Mount Pulaski plated six runs in the top of the second inning. Singles by A.J. Bailey, Landon Smith and Chance Payne each drove in runs in the inning, giving Mount Pulaski a 7-2 advantage.

Jackson Fricke added an RBI double in the top of the sixth inning, extending that lead to 8-2.

The Spartans added two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but were not much of a threat after that.

Evan Cooper allowed a seventh inning single but the Hilltoppers still went on to defeat Southeast 8-4.

Landon Smith earned the win for Mount Pulaski. He tossed five and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He struck out nine batters and walked two batters.

Evan Cooper worked an inning and one-third in relief. He gave up two hits and struck out one batter.

Mount Pulaski had 12 hits versus the Spartans.

Jackson Fricke was a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI.

A.J. Bailey and Landon Smith each had two hits.

Evan Cooper, Chance Payne, Liam Smith and Kolin Gibbs each had a hit for Mount Pulaski.

Saturday, April 22, 2023

The Hilltoppers hosted Springfield Lanphier on a chilly day at Veterans Park and after being retired in order to start the game, Mount Pulaski’s bats heated up and put runs on the board for the remainder of the game.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Chance Payne lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Jackson Fricke with a run to cut the lead in half.

Landon Smith’s inside the park home run in the bottom of the third inning tied that game. A two-run triple by Luke Martin broke the tie and gave Mount Pulaski a 4-2 lead. Martin would steal home with Gavin Smith in the batter’s box and Mount Pulaski took a 5-2 lead.

Mount Pulaski added three more runs in the fourth inning, courtesy of the Lions pitching staff. A wild pitch and a passed ball allowed the Hilltoppers to go ahead 8-3.

The Hilltoppers took advantage of the Lions wild pitching in the fifth inning and the lead grew to 10-3.

Three more runs crossed the plate for Mount Pulaski in the sixth inning. Fricke scored on a passed ball just ahead of an RBI single by Liam Smith. Gavin Smith ended the game early with an RBI single to right and Mount Pulaski won via the ten-run rule, 13-3 the final score.

Eric Cooper went the distance for Mount Pulaski, earning the win. Cooper tossed six innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out eight batters and walked three batters.

Landon Smith was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Luke Martin was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

Gavin Smith was 2-for-2 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk.

Jackson Fricke was 1-for-1 with four runs scored and three walks.

Mount Pulaski is home all week for games with St. Joseph-Ogden, LeRoy, Cornerstone Christian Academy and Illini Bluffs.

[Teena Lowery]