Offense leads Mt. Vernon past Golden Bears

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By Maria Leichty
For the Daily Reporter

FORTVILLE — The Marauders offense came out Friday night looking like a team who had scored over 40 runs in their first four games. The onslaught didn’t stop.

Mt. Vernon defeated Shelbyville 12-4 in the first game of their doubleheader and half of their runs came from two hits. Dino Tharp and Dylan Cole were each sitting on their pitch and they found it — Tharp’s in the first inning and Cole in the fifth. Their three-RBI home runs were highlights, but the offense didn’t stop there.

They put up eight runs in the first two innings, accumulating seven hits with two stranded in the first. The entire order contributed.

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Thomas Obergfell did what leadoffs do. His 3-1 count turned into a walk in the first inning then he led off again in the second after they bat around the order. He had a zinger to shortstop for a single to kick things off in the second.

Jaden Cappelletti followed in like kind with a single and getting hit-by-pitch in the second.

The main event was cleanup hitter Tharp. Tharp worked his magic on his second pitch. The 3-RBI home run gave Mt. Vernon a lead they would never relinquish. He followed that with an RBI-single in the second.

Sam McCarty walked in the first and used a bomb to right field for a 2-RBI triple in the second.

Jake Stank contributed a single and an RBI in the second. Then Cole rounded things out with an RBI-single in the first.

Cole continued to add to that number in the fifth inning with his 3-RBI home run. Both Tharp and Cole ended with four RBIs apiece, Tharp going 2-for-3 and Cole going 2-for-2 with a walk.

Mason Montgomery finished the scoring with an RBI double in the fourth inning. And that made 12 runs — the Marauders’ fourth game in a row scoring in double digits.

Shelbyville had a few comeback innings but no threatening ones. Marauders pitcher Caleb Rush finished the first three innings giving up two hits and no runs. In the fourth inning, the Golden Bears punched across three hits and their first run for the night. Hunter Davis and Payton Bovard relieved and closed for the Marauders giving up four hits and three runs between the two of them.

Game 2

The first game momentum did not translate over to the second for the Marauders but they still battled to a 5-2 lead as of the top of the seventh inning at press time.

The Golden Bears stole some of the Marauder thunder in their first of the final seven innings. Two hits, a walk and a sac fly later, a Golden Bear had crossed the plate. With two runners on first and second, they had the chance to cross a few more but Marauder Mason Montgomery caught a line drive to end their rally.

Their final rally came in the fifth inning with two outs. Two strikeouts and a Marauder error put one on first. After two steals put the Golden Bear on third, an RBI-single brought him in. Another single and a walk put Marauder AJ Swingle in a bind on the mound.

Mt. Vernon precariously held a 3-2 lead but two pitches later and Swingle had forced a pop fly to end any change of a Golden Bear victory.

Swingle ended with four strikeouts, two hits, and one run in two innings. Caleb Cain, who started for the Marauders, stranded two in the second with two strikeouts and a pop fly. He finished giving up four hits and one run.

Back to the offensive side, the Marauders had runners left on base in every inning but didn’t have quite as many long balls drop. The third inning was the clincher for the Mt. Vernon bats. It was a pretty cut and dry routine with Cappelletti kicking things off with a single. Montgomery walked and McCarty and Stank followed with singles. Stank drove a liner into right field for a 2-RBI single.

At press time, Mt. Vernon increased their lead to 5-2 after a few Shelbyville errors and a few blown light fuses. Stank had another single and ended the night 3 for 4. Nolan Bowser got on base right before the lights got too tired to stay on. He finished with a single and double in the second game.

For the final result of the game go to greenfieldreporter.com.