High School Boys Baseball
Mount Pulaski crushes Crusaders 19-1
Landon Smith hits a home run for the Toppers

 

[April 23, 2024] 

The Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers crushed the Springfield Lutheran Crusaders 19-1 on Monday afternoon in Springfield.

Chance Payne continues to tear the cover off the baseball, this time the junior was 4-for-4 with a double and three singles. He drove in three runs and scored three times for the Hilltoppers.

Landon Smith was 2-for-3 with a home run and three runs batted in. He also scored three runs.

The Hilltoppers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Landon Smith led off the game with a double and after stealing third, he came home to score on Payne’s single. Payne made it all the way to third on an error and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Eric Cooper.

Landon Smith gave Mount Pulaski a 4-0 lead in the second inning when he homered to left field with Preston Cowan on base.

Nine runs crossed the plate for Mount Pulaski in the third inning. The Crusaders pitching really faltered, issuing nine walks in the inning. Payne and Cooper had the only base hits for Mount Pulaski in the inning. An error was also instrumental in allowing the Hilltoppers to score.

The Crusaders scored a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning.

An RBI double by Luke Martin highlighted the fourth inning. Three walks, two hit batters and an error also helped Mount Pulaski reach a 19-1 score.

Aaron Volle pitched the bottom of the fourth inning and struck out the side on thirteen pitches.

Eric Cooper was the winning pitcher for Mount Pulaski. He worked three innings, allowing four hits and one earned run. He walked one and struck out seven.

The Hilltoppers record is now 16-1.

Mount Pulaski will play at Central A & M today at 4:30 p.m.

[Teena Lowery]