Hot Start Lifts Montezuma Over Grottoes

By Leyton Pullin
Montezuma defeated the home standing Grottoes Cardinals 17-11 on Sunday at Shifflett Field on Sunday.
Montezuma would start the offensive exhibition early with 2 down in the top of the 1st as Jeremy Wagner would get hit by a pitch and then Will Wagner would hit an RBI single to score him giving them a 1-0 lead. The Braves would tag on another run as Jacob Haney would hit a RBI single to score Will Wagner, 2-0 Montezuma. The Braves would add 3 more with a PJ Hanisak RBI single and a Jacob Haney RBI single. Then Hanisak would score on an error by David Wood making it 5-0 Braves. Another three run inning would come for the Braves in the fourth as Kyle Armstrong, Jeremy Wagner, and Will Wagner would load the bases for Hanisak who would walk and force Armstrong in to score. Jeremy Wagner would score on a Jacob Haney RBI sacrifice fly and Will Wagner would score on an error by Matt Curry giving the Braves a 8-0 lead.
 
Grottoes would send Tucker Garrison to the dig out after a four inning start where he gave up 8 runs, 7 of which were earned. He would be replaced by Brennan Abbot who would start shaky giving up 4 in the 5th, 3 earned, to make the score 12-0. Abbott would find his stride to end the inning with three straight outs and would get some run support. In the 6th as the bases would load for Austin Nicely and he would rip a 2 RBI single to score Clayton Michael and Lucas Wheeler to get the Cards on the board 12-2. Matt Curry would deliver as well as the Royal would deliver with a 2 RBI single to score the Nicely’s. Grottoes would add one more in the 6th as Jacob Zoller would roll a RBI single in to score Jacob Dansey to make the score 12-5.
 
Montezuma would respond with a Will Wagner solo home run to make the score 13-5. Grottoes would strike back in the bottom half of the 7th as Wheeler and Dylan Nicely would score thanks to some errors making the score 13-7. The 8th would go by action less then Montezuma would push 4 across 3 of which would come from a Tavian Hall 3 RBI double. Hall would later score as the 4th run of the inning for the Braves on a passed ball making the score 17-7.
 
Grottoes would not go down silent in the bottom of the 9th even though they were down 10. Dansey would hit a RBI double to score Austin Nicely. Grottoes would tag on more as Jacob Zoller would hit an RBI single to score Custer and Clayton Michael would hit a 2RBI double to make the score 17-11 but that would be all for the charge by the Cardinals.
The Cardinals drop to 9-9 on the season as they will play a home and home with Elkton(6-11) on Monday and Tuesday. Grottoes continued to struggle in the opening innings with run support as Tucker Garrison would take the loss.
 
For Montezuma they move to 7-11 on the season with three games left. They will travel to JMU’s Eagle Field to play the Broadway Bruins who sit atop the league after their defeat of New Market on Sunday.