Perry’s Cody Burgess collides with Hardin Northern’s Bodi Hipsher on a stolen base attempt during Tuesday’s game at Perry. See more high school baseball photos at LimaScores.com.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
PERRY TOWNSHIP — Perry’s Hunter Scott lived up to his ace billing.
Despite being a sophomore, the Commodore southpaw tossed a complete game, six-hit shutout to help Perry collect a 3-0 win over Hardin Northern Tuesday.
This marked the Commodores first win of the season as they improve to 1-4 on the season and 1-2 in Northwest Central Conference play. Hardin Northern suffers its first loss of the year and falls to 5-1 and 3-1 in the NWCC. In the conference this year, team’s play back-to-back games and Monday Hardin Northern got the win after getting five runs in the sixth after the game was tied 2-2.
Scott was masterful in his outing as he struck out 12 and walked none. In the final two frames he fanned five of six batters to complete the pitching gem. In the sixth, the Commodore lefty fanned the final two batters to get out of a jam and then struck out the first two batters of the seventh, gave up a hit, and then whiffed the last hitter.
“Hunter is my ace this year,” Perry head coach Mark Hoersten said. “He was a freshman last year and saw some varsity action and my No. 4 last year and he did a good job out there. When he is on the mound, I think we can be pretty competitive.
“He has good off speed and can locate his pitches. That is his strength and why he pitched a lot as a freshman. Last year he was probably throwing low 70s but is off speed stuff was really good. This year he is throwing a little harder and that is making that stuff a little more effective.”
Perry manufactured runs in the first, third and fifth innings and while the Commodores were not exactly bashing the ball, they did enough to secure the win.
Perry’s Silas Johnson was 2 for 3 and Scott helped his cause by bringing in Brody Douce in the first on an error and then gaining an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the third inning. Douce scored twice and Braylon Ardner drove a run in the fifth. For Hardin Northern, Zach Spearman went was 3 for 3.
Hoersten is hoping this victory is the catalyst that keeps the Commodores in the win column,
“If we can put a full game together we can be alright,” Hoersten said. “We played them last night and lost 7-2 but it was 2-2 going into the sixth inning and we have four errors and we open the flood gates. We should have been out of the inning. But that has been us all year. We have had one bad inning or two bad innings and they just don’t come back very well.”
Despite suffering their first loss of the season, Polar Bear head coach Tyler Paugh said this team has the capabilities of vying for the NWCC crown.
“We haven’t hit our stride yet hitting the ball,” Paugh said. “Coming into the game we are 5-0 and defensively we are there with two errors in seven innings I am happy with that. Even last night’s game we got the win, 7-2, but our bats did not come alive until the bottom of the sixth.
“I think three or four times tonight we got guys in scoring position and don’t score. Hat’s off to the kid that pitched. He kept us off balance and our bats started waking up late in the game but like I told the kids if they want to hang a banner they control their own destiny and the way these kids are they are going to respond, they are going to work and we have Elgin Monday and Tuesday and they are the team to beat and we will be ready for them.”
Another encouraging sign for the Polar Bears was the pitching of starter Nolan Hopson and reliever Zach Spearman. Hopson went two and two-third innings while fanning four and walking one and Spearman tossed the final three and one-third innings whole allowed who struck out three and walked two.
“I am pretty confident with them,” Paugh said. “We have done a lot of work with our pitching. We have some guys that can bring and better than where we used to be and we have some guys that can mix it up like Spearman and he keeps guys off-balanced. We are going to be a tough team this year.”
Reach Jose Nogueras at 567-242-0468.
