DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
HOAGLAND – A classic rivalry between two neighboring schools was played out in the warming weather Wednesday night as former sectional rivals Heritage and Bellmont played to a 5-3 score with the home Patriots using a three-run first inning to score a non-conference victory.
Bellmont jumped on Thomson Keppel, a tall lefty for the Patriots, early, scoring twice in the top of the first inning.
Keppel started the first inning with a pair of strikeouts, but a walk to Eli Laurent and a single from opposing starter Austin Christner gave Dylan Velez a chance to kick start the game. While he didn’t drive in the runs with a big base hit, Velez put the ball in play and Keppel could not find an out and everyone was safe. It got worse for Keppel as he was called for a balk, allowing another runner to score and putting him in an early hole.
Heritage bounced right back, however, against Christner, with speedy third baseman Andrew Mirelez singling to center. An infield error on a ground ball allowed Mason Abbott to reach and Noah Redmon made the Braves pay for the error, launching a home run to right to quickly give the Patriots the lead right back. It was a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night.
Keppel walked two in the second inning but got the swings and misses he needed to get out of the jam. He finished the night with eight Ks in four innings and did not allow a hit the rest of the night.
Another lefty, Caleb Abbott, threw the final three innings for Heritage and the junior allowed just one hit, striking out three.
Walks and errors cost Christner again in the third, when Heritage tagged him for two more runs.
Abbott struck out the side in the fifth after leadoff hitter Jack Scheumann reached on a dropped fly ball, but Scheumann stole a couple of bags and scored the Braves’ third run on a passed ball.
“I keep telling our guys that we have one goal,” said Bellmont head coach Tom Montgomery after the loss dropped the Braves to just 2-7 in 2023. “Everything we are doing is working toward the postseason. As the weather changes and we don’t have to deal with postponements, we are going to keep improving.”
Montgomery noted that the lack of consistent playing time has messed with the timing of his hitters.
“That will come and then I think we will be alright.”
The Braves are back on the field Thursday against Leo at home, while Heritage will play at Adams Central.