Alex Rychwalski, Cumberland Times-News, Md.
·5 min read
Apr. 20—POTOMAC PARK — Allegany and Fort Hill were still in search of the game's first run entering the sixth inning, but Alco's Caedon Wallace and Myles Bascelli came through.
Bascelli led off the sixth with a hustle double, and Wallace followed with a two-run, go-ahead big fly that just cleared the left-field fence at Holler Field. Bascelli then all but erased any hopes of a Sentinel rally an inning later with a bases-clearing triple.
That was all the run support right-hander Bryce Madden needed, as the Allegany senior out-dueled Steven Spencer with seven shutout innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 triumph over rival Fort Hill on Friday evening.
"I sometimes take for granted how well we pitch the baseball," Allegany head coach Jon Irons said. "This week, we got three good starts from our pitchers. You can't really ask for more from our three top guys.
"Really happy with the way Bryce pitched and battled through and kept us in position to win. It took us a little while to find those hits, but we eventually figured it out."
Allegany improved to 10-2 with the victory, its eighth in a row, and remains perfect at 5-0 in the Western Maryland Athletic Conference. Fort Hill fell to 6-8 overall and 2-4 in the WestMAC.
If hitting is contagious, then ice-cold bats are too.
Allegany and Fort Hill had just three combined knocks entering the sixth inning when Bascelli started the rally with a two-bagger.
Wallace said he had a good feeling before his go-ahead plate appearance due to his previous at-bat when he lined a single into left field to kick off the third inning but was stranded at third base.
The senior couldn't have asked for a better pitch, and he didn't miss it.
"It was just a fastball down the middle," Wallace said. "It was just a beautiful pitch."
Allegany pitching allowed just five hits and one run over 21 innings during a 3-0 week.
Madden's gem Friday followed a one-hitter in a 10-1 win at Frankfort Monday, in which Caden Long and Madden combined to strike out 14, and Bascelli threw a three-hit shutout with 15 Ks in a 6-0 victory at Mountain Ridge Wednesday.
Madden limited the Sentinels to one base hit, a two-out double by Logan Vanmeter in the fourth inning, and he fanned 12 and walked one.
Wallace added a sacrifice fly for the Campers' final run in a four-run seventh inning to finish 2 for 3 with three RBIs, and Bascelli ended 2 for 4 with three ribbies and two runs scored.
Allegany's defense played error-free baseball, and Wallace, a first baseman, fittingly ended the game with a diving stop on a hard ground ball by Peyton Blocher that seemed destined for extra bases up the first-base line.
Spencer wasn't so fortunate, as his defense let him down to the tune of four errors resulting in three unearned runs. Fort Hill made five errors total.
The right-hander may have finished the game if not for two errors sandwiching a mental mistake on a bunt single by Eli Imes, when the Sentinels' third baseman elected to try and get the lead runner instead of taking the easy out at first base.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Bascelli cleared them with a liner down the left-field line.
Spencer still finished with a solid line of six runs (three earned) on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings of work.
"We held our own there for four or five innings," Fort Hill head coach Tanner Brode said. "A few things went their way late, and some misfortune on our part kind of drove the score up to what it was. Not taking anything away from Allegany, they're the standard in the area, and there's a reason why.
"Steven's last two games, it's a shame that some things haven't worked out well for us, either at the plate or out in the field."
Fort Hill will look to clean up its defense and approach at the plate before returning to the field for a road matchup with Broadfording on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Still, Friday was encouraging for the Sentinels considering how lopsided the series with Allegany has been in recent memory.
"The last four times we've matched up with Allegany, it was a no-hitter, a complete-game shutout," Brode said. "Seeing this, is definitely a sign of improvement for us. We're energized and ready to go into the next game."
The Sentinels' improvement also may have had an impact on Allegany, which came out tight at the plate with this year's city game having added intensity.
"We knew that they were a better baseball team this year. We talked about it and we came out focused," Irons said. "I think we just came out a little tight, but we worked through it, and Bryce allowed us to do it."
Allegany returns to the field on Monday at home against Hedgesville at 4:30 p.m.
Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.
