High School Boys Baseball
Hilltoppers celebrate Senior Night and clinch the Tomahawk Conference to highlight the week
Mount Pulaski improves to 24-2 on the season

 

[May 08, 2023] 

The Hilltoppers kicked off the month of May with an exciting come from behind win over New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly to cap off a terrific Senior Night and then proceeded to mow through the competition the rest of week to add to their win total on the season.

Monday, May 1, 2023

The New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly Pretzels held a 9-0 lead over the Hilltoppers after three innings on Senior Night and just when it looked like the special evening might be ruined, the Hilltoppers came back to score 13 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and completed the 20-11 comeback win.

Picking up the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with Mount Pulaski down 11-3 the bats woke up as Evan Cooper tripled in a run to score A.J. Bailey, who had reached on an error. Luke Martin drew a bases loaded walk to score Cooper and the score was 11-5.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Evan Cooper rallied the troops again with his two-run homer to right field, scoring Bailey and this time the Hilltoppers trailed 11-7.

The Hilltoppers started the bottom of the sixth inning with three straight hits: Jackson Fricke (double), Chance Payne (single) and Luke Martin (single). Payne singled in the first run and after a walk to Clay Aylesworth, Liam Smith singled home another run. Eric Cooper then added a single to make the score 11-10 and the Hilltoppers were patiently creeping up on the Pretzels. Aylesworth raced home with the tying run on a wild pitch and quickly after that the Hilltoppers took the lead as Bailey grounded out but a run scored. That was the first out of the inning. Up to bat was Evan Cooper again, and he was ready to do some more damage. The senior hit a two-run double to left this time and Mount Pulaski was up 13-11. Jackson Fricke also doubled in a run to make the score 14-11. With two outs, Mount Pulaski piled on six more runs, highlighted by run-scoring singles by Liam Smith and Evan Cooper and a double by Eric Cooper that scored two more runs. When the damage was over, the Pretzels were in an unexpected twist, trailing 20-11.

The Pretzels were all discombobulated in the top of the seventh inning versus Eric Cooper on the mound. Cooper allowed a leadoff walk, but retired the next three batters, ending the game on two strikeouts, in fact.

Mount Pulaski was impressive in the 20-11 comeback win but no one was more impressive than Evan Cooper at the plate on this day.

Evan Cooper was 6-for-6 with five runs batted in against the Pretzels. He also scored four runs as he reached base in each at-bat this way: single, double, triple, home run, double and single. That is IMPRESSIVE!

Jackson Fricke was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored in the win.

Liam Smith and Eric Cooper also recorded multi-hits.

Liam Smith was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Eric Cooper was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

A.J. Bailey, Luke Martin and Chance Payne also slugged hits as the Hilltoppers finished with 16 hits against the Pretzels.

On the mound, Eric Cooper pitched in relief to earn the win. He tossed four and one-third innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out four batters.

Gavin Smith started the game for Mount Pulaski. He lasted two and two-thirds innings, allowing nine runs on four hits. He struck out four batters.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Mount Pulaski took an early 8-0 lead over the Argenta-Oreana Bombers on the road and had no trouble walking away with an 8-2 victory.

The Hilltoppers loaded the bases in the second inning thanks to a single by Jackson Fricke and walks to Luke Martin and Liam Smith. An error would eventually lead to the Hilltoppers scoring the first two runs of the game.

In the top of the third inning, Landon Smith crushed a double to left to score Evan Cooper with a run. Jackson Fricke and Luke Martin hit back-to-back singles, with Martin getting an RBI in the deal. Liam Smith added a sacrifice fly to score another run. Finally, an RBI single by Eric Cooper plated a run in the inning and Mount Pulaski held a 6-0 lead.

The Hilltoppers tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning as Martin drove in a pair with his single to left. The 8-0 lead was pretty secure with A.J. Bailey on the mound for Mount Pulaski.

Bailey was tagged for a run in the bottom of the fourth inning and then reliever Liam Smith gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh inning but no further damage was done and Mount Pulaski won by a final score of 8-2.

A.J. Bailey got the win for Mount Pulaski. He worked five and two-thirds innings, allowing one run on seven hits. He struck out eight batters.

Liam Smith pitched an inning and one-third in relief. He allowed just one hit and one run. He struck out one batter.

At the plate, Jackson Fricke led Mount Pulaski with a 3-for-3 performance.

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

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

A midweek sunny afternoon in Athens was a great day for the Hilltoppers to win the 2023 Tomahawk Conference.

Mount Pulaski scored in every inning of this shortened five-inning game and won big, 16-1 the final over the Athens Warriors.

Six senior members of the Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers Baseball Team were recognized at the teams Senior Night on Monday, May 1, 2023
From left to right: Gavin Smith, Clay Aylesworth, A.J. Bailey, Evan Cooper, Jackson Fricke and Ethan Payne.

The big blow of the game was a monster home run by Clay Aylesworth in the fifth inning.

The Hilltoppers started the game by putting five runs on the board in the first inning. Chance Payne drove in the first two runs on a line drive to right field. Luke Martin drove in two more runs with his double to left field. Clay Aylesworth’s RBI single completed the first inning scoring and the Hilltoppers were quickly in front 5-0.

Fricke added an RBI single in the second inning and the lead grew to 6-0.

The Hilltoppers plated two more runs in the top of the third inning as A.J. Bailey drove in one run on a triple and Evan Cooper earned an RBI on a ground out.

Liam Smith and Eric Cooper had run-scoring singles in the fourth inning while Clay Aylesworth and A.J. Bailey slugged RBI doubles. This lineup is solid from top to bottom and as a result the lead was 12-1 at this point.

Liam Smith put the Hilltoppers up by a dozen with his RBI double in the fifth inning. Then with two runners aboard, Aylesworth crushed the ball to left field for a home run and Mount Pulaski was pretty much guaranteed of the conference championship after that swing.

Down 16-1 the Warriors had one more opportunity in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend the game but a leadoff walk was erased in a double play by Mount Pulaski and Luke Martin struck out the final batter of the game.

Mount Pulaski won the game 16-1 while pounding out 19 hits.

There were lots of great hitting performances in this win.

Clay Aylesworth led the way with a 3-for-4 day at the plate. He drove in five runs and scored two runs. The big swing being a three-run home run by Aylesworth.

Eric Cooper was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a run driven in.

Jackson Fricke was 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Leadoff batter A.J. Bailey was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Chance Payne was the winner on the mound for Mount Pulaski. Payne tossed four no-hit innings. He allowed one run. He struck out seven batters and walked five.

Luke Martin pitched an inning in relief, allowing one hit, one walk and one strikeout.

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Mount Pulaski defeated the Fisher Bunnies 16-2 to end the week on yet another winning note.

After taking a 3-0 lead early in the game, Mount Pulaski put up nine runs in the third inning to go up 12-0.

In that third inning, the Hilltoppers took advantage of five walks but also swung the bat and got great results. Jackson Fricke’s grand slam highlighted the inning. He crushed a 2-2 count over the fence in left field and that scored the Cooper boys and Landon Smith. Clay Aylesworth and Liam Smith also had RBI singles in the inning.

The Bunnies hopped on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning, plating two runs off Landon Smith.

The Hilltoppers would put up a four-spot in the top of the fourth inning. Bailey slugged a leadoff triple to start the action. Bailey scored on a bases-loaded ground out by Fricke. Payne then stepped in the batter’s box and took a 2-0 count out to right field to score two more runs. Liam Smith’s fielder’s choice sent Payne home to end the scoring in the inning and put Mount Pulaski in front 16-2.

Mount Pulaski had no trouble shutting down the Bunnies in the final two innings and Liam Smith picked up the 16-2 win for the Hilltoppers.

Liam Smith tossed four innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out five batters.

Evan Cooper pitched the final inning in relief and he struck out two batters while recording goose eggs in the rest of his stat line.

The Hilltoppers recorded ten hits versus the Bunnies.

Evan Cooper was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs.

Chance Payne was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

Liam Smith was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

A.J. Bailey, Jackson Fricke, Clay Aylesworth and Eric Cooper recorded the other Mount Pulaski hits.

Fricke drove in five runs on the day.

With the regular season winding down quickly, Mount Pulaski has four games on the schedule this week: Tri-City, Havana, El Paso-Gridley and Warrensburg-Latham.

[Teena Lowery]