by Amy Moulton
The Wet Mountain Minors youth baseball team kept a firm hold on their first-place standing with a week of blowouts. On Tuesday, July 10th, a hard-hitting home run by Grant Rusk, a triple by Colt Moulton with an RBI and walks from the Tigers’ pitchers started out the game with a strong lead. Then Moulton pitched three strikeouts, only allowing one run to end the inning at 8-1. In the second inning, Braden Troyer hit a triple with an RBI, which was followed by three runs by walk. Taylor Bradford finished the batting with a double, hitting in two RBIs. Kate Doughty pitched for the first time this season, getting the ball across the plate for two strikeouts, four runs by hits and only two runs by walk. Relief pitcher Rusk Grant came in with three strikes in a row to finish the inning at 14-7.
In the third, Troyer hit a double bringing in his second and third RBIs of the game, and then Moulton hit in another RBI. Rusk hit a triple and brought in two more, and with three walks, the Wet Mountain batting ending again by mercy rule. Then Rusk pitched an impressive three strikeouts with no runs to wrap up the game at 20-7.
Strong batting by the Wet Mountain Minors team and a whopping five RBIs by Braden Troyer ensured a victory over the A’s on Thursday, July 12th. Troyer kicked off the first inning with a beautiful home run. A single by Jacob Weeks and RBIs from Brylee Shy, Ashton Fisher and Levi Carichner contributed to an 8-0 lead at the half-inning mark. Third baseman Kagen Sluder fielded a ground ball and tagged out a runner for the first out, and Shy pitched a strikeout for the second. The A’s got three hits and six runs before relief pitcher Troyer provided the final out of the inning.
A triple by Troyer in the second brought in three runners, and RBIs from Sluder, Shy, and Logan Nameth helped provide a lead of 16-6. Troyer fielded a grounder and threw to first baseman Kate Doughty for an out, and then second baseman Mason Simmons tagged his base for the third out.
The Minors put up eight runs in the third inning. Charichner, Straight, Troyer, Jacob Weeks, Moulton and Sluder each drove in runs during the inning. Young Jacob Weeks pitched for the first time this season, striking out three batters and only allowing two walks and two runs for a final score of 24-8.
(Editor//llv: Kudos to the coaching staff this year. Fantastic job. And a special thanks to Amy Moulton for applying her writing skills to the season as the sports writer. We have really enjoyed reading the play-by- play successes of the team.)