The Hagerstown Tigers, ranked fifth in the 2A state poll, struggled at the plate in their first two games. The struggle continued through the first five innings of their home game against Connersville, played on Friday, March 29.
The Tigers’ bats finally came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Will Combs led off with a double. Kayne Ervin joined him on base with a perfectly executed bunt, and Wyatt Burris followed with an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1. Before the inning ended the Tigers sent 12 batters to the plate, collected eight hits, highlighted by a grand slam home run from Cole Tracy, and scored eight runs.
The Spartans took an early 1-0 lead in the game when Brady Cloyd hit a towering two-out home run in the first inning. It was the only scoring by either team until the Tiger explosion in the bottom of the sixth inning broke the game open.
Hagerstown head coach Jay Hale said he has been expecting his team to find their bats.
“I have been telling the kids that the hitting would come,” Hale said. “Once we got baserunners to open the sixth inning the floodgates opened. We have a lot of good hitters, it was fun to see them come alive.”
Connersville (1-1) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Hagerstown (3-0) 0 0 0 0 0 8 – 8
Batteries: Connersville: Gavin Bronnon, Aaron Kidd (5) LP, Noah Sizemore (6), Hagerstown: Kaagen Kendall, Andrew Frederick (5) WP. Connersville hits: Zaine Bentley, Cloyd, Trot Davidson, Kolton DeBoard. Hagerstown hits: Collin Beaty, Burris, Ethan Campbell, Combs, Ervin (2), Ty Lieberman, Tracy (2), Gavin Walter, Ben Williams.
A version of this article appeared in the April 3 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.