Massanutten’s Bats Come Alive, Force Game 4

By Nolan Potts
Harrison Madagan had five hits and scored four runs and Kaplan Ambrose hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs as Massanutten scored six runs in the third inning and 13 runs in the sixth to force a Game 4 with a 20-5 win over Clover Hill at Buck Bowman Park on Thursday night.

Clover Hill jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. After Josh Eberly walked and John Siciliano reached on a fielder’s choice that Eberly was safe on at second base, Bryce Suters hit his third home run of the series to right-center field to put the Bucks on top.

In the top of the third, Massanutten’s bats would start to wake up. Harrison Madagan singled to score Kaden Spaid and make the score 3-1. Two batters later, Connor Houser singled to right and scored Nick Arnold. Nate Brookshire would then single to left to score Madagan and courtesy runner Andrew O’Brien and give the Mountaineers the lead. After Colin Troilo was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Ambrose singled to center to score Houser and Brookshire and make the score 6-3.

The Mountaineers would make it 7-3 in the fourth inning after Houser singled and drove in Madagan.

Clover Hill would load the bases in the fifth and score two runs after a Kevin Kirk single and a Josh Eberly hit by pitch, but Massanutten reliever Andrew Baugher induced a 5-2-3 double play to get out of inning without any further damage.

The Mountaineers exploded for 13 runs in the top of the sixth inning. Nick Arnold led off the inning with a walk, followed by a Madagan single and two hit by pitches to Dawson Russell and Houser. Brookshire singled to bring in a run and make it 9-5, and then Ambrose hit a grand slam over the right field wall to break it open and make it 13-5. From there, Massanutten added seven more runs with the RBIs coming from Arnold, Madagan (2), Russell, Ambrose, and House (2).

Massanutten starter Brady Hoover bounced back from the three-run first inning and gave the team 4.1 innings pitched before turning it over to Baugher, who then went the next 1.2 innings allowing no earned runs, one hit, and striking out two. Garett McAlexander pitched a 1-2-3 seven inning, striking out two to finish the ballgame.

On the day for the Mountaineers, Madagan went 5-6 with three RBI and four runs scored, Brookshire went 3-4 with three RBI and three runs scored, and Ambrose went 2-4 with seven RBI. Houser had two hits and three RBI, while House had two hits and two RBI. Arnold had two runs, scored three runs, and walked three times.

For the Bucks, Suters had the home run and three RBI, Siciliano had two hits, while Eberly and Kirk each had a hit and an RBI.

Game 4 is Friday night at Spotswood High School at 7:00 PM. The Mountaineers must win to force a Game 5. A Clover Hill win would put the Bucks in the RCBL Finals against Bridgewater.

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