High School Boys Baseball
Hilltopper Chance Payne silences the Bullets 7-3
Payne fans 15 batters and Smith homers in the first inning


 

[March 24, 2024] 

The Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers have started the season 4-0 and they are getting the wins with both solid pitching and solid hitting from throughout the lineup.

On a frigid Friday night in Williamsville, Liam Smith got the party started with a home run in the first inning. He took the sixth pitch of his at bat and sent it flying over the center field fence for a 1-0 Mount Pulaski lead.

Chance Payne took the mound for Mount Pulaski to start the game and he took the top of the Bullets order down on three strikeouts. Payne threw 15 pitches in the first inning, getting two batters out swinging and one looking. A nice start for the junior who has been spectacular on the mound so far this season.

With Payne continuing to retire the Bullets handily, the score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth inning, when Mount Pulaski exploded for five runs.

The inning started with Luke Martin drawing a walk and Tyler Cross reaching on an error. The 7-8-9 guys in the lineup then delivered in a big way for Mount Pulaski.

Aaron Volle singled to load the bases. Carter Clark drove in a run with a line drive single to right. Preston Cowan followed Clark’s lead and he smacked a line drive to right, scoring two more runs for the Hilltoppers. After the top of the order for Mount Pulaski recorded two strikeouts, Landon Smith singled to left field, driving in Clark. Cowan also scored on an error by the left fielder and Mount Pulaski had built a 6-0 lead.

Through four innings on the mound, Payne was cruising with 12 strikeouts. He did not have a perfect game going, but he was stellar nonetheless.

Payne added an RBI single in the top of the sixth inning to extend the lead to 7-0. Tucker Fitzpatrick scored on Payne’s hit.

After issuing a one-out walk in the bottom of the sixth inning, Payne exited the mound. Of the 105 pitches he threw, 65 were for strikes. Payne left the game with 15 strikeouts and five walks. He allowed zero hits and would get a run on his stat sheet for the day.

Payne was relieved by Eric Cooper, who was stung with a triple after walking a batter and hitting a batter. A wild pitch and a walk later, the Bullets had crossed home plate three times. Cooper did strike out two batters in the sixth inning.

When the sixth inning came to an end, the freezing rain was making a mess of things and the game was called with Mount Pulaski the 7-3 winner.

Mount Pulaski out-hit the Bullets nine to one.

Tyler Cross led the Mount Pulaski offense with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate. He scored a run.

Liam Smith, Landon Smith, Chance Payne, Luke Martin, Aaron Volle, Carter Clark and Preston Cowan each had a hit for the Hilltoppers.

Joe Catalano suffered the loss for Williamsville.

Mount Pulaski head coach Joel Washko offered some excellent comments after the Hilltoppers win over the Bullets.

“We had great energy from all of our kids Friday,” said Washko, “Including those in the dugout. Any time you beat one of the perennial programs in the area it’s a big win. I loved how we competed. We played with pride and no one backed down. We will need that type of mentality to achieve our goals this season.”

Washko also noted the pitching performance of his junior, Chance Payne.

“Chance was dominant on the mound,” he said. “It was especially impressive because of the weather he was throwing in. It could not have been easy to grip the ball and locate, but he did an exceptional job all around.”

As for the rest of his solid lineup, Washko was very pleased.

“We faced a really good arm and I thought up and down the order we put really good at bats together,” he said. “Liam started it off with that home run in the first, which I think was a huge confidence builder for everyone. The bottom of the order came up huge in the fourth. A bunt single by Aaron Volle loading the bases, and then huge RBI singles by Carter Clark and Preston Cowan.”

Finally, Washko offered, “It was a great week with three quality wins over very solid opponents. We need to make sure we don’t take our foot off the gas. We need to understand that we haven’t peaked yet and need to stay focused on getting better every day.”

The Hilltoppers have five games on the schedule this week, beginning with a game on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Illini Central.

The rest of the week:

Wednesday ~ Okaw Valley home 4:30 p.m.

Thursday ~ Unity Christian home 3:30 p.m.

Friday ~ Clinton home 4:30 p.m.

Saturday ~ Decatur Eisenhower away 10:00 a.m.

[Teena Lowery]