MONTEREY — The Highland Rams won a close one against the Mustangs from Eastern Montgomery, 5-3, last Tuesday in a home game, picking up a district win.
The Mustangs had beaten the Rams the week prior on Thursday at Eastern Montgomery. The Rams are now 5-2 in the Pioneer District, with an 8-5 record overall.
John Wagner pitched a complete-game for Highland, limiting the Mustangs to seven hits and allowing two earned runs, striking out nine batters with no walks.
Ram coach J.D. Hiner said, “John was great and took control of the game. In the sixth and seventh innings things were getting interesting. It was a learning moment for him, but our guys made the plays to pick up the W.”
Austin Tate and Gunner Lawson combined to strike out 11, while giving up just two earned runs for the Mustangs.
The Rams scored first in the bottom half of the first with Michael Campbell, Wagner and Colton Williams crossing the plate.
In the second inning the Rams added two more runs scored by Campbell and Ethan Moore, making it 5-0.
For the Mustangs, things were fairly quiet until the sixth inning when they scored a run on an RBI double by Hunter Howard. The score after six was 5-1 Rams.
The seventh inning saw the Mustangs add two more runs with one RBI from Aiden Shepherd and an error by the Rams.
The Mustangs were led by Caleb Jones, who had two hits. Coltin Conner, Kobe Phoenix, Tate, Howard and Lawson each contributed a hit.
The Rams were paced by Wagner, who had two hits — one being a triple in the sixth inning — while Campbell, Ethan Moore, and Williams had one hit each. The Rams also had seven stolen bases, three of them coming from Ethan Moore and two by Campbell.
Highland went on the road Thursday and hammered Pocahontas County, W.Va., in five innings, 23-2.
The Rams scored seven times in the top of the first and added 11 in the fifth.
All nine starters had hits for the visitors, including three each from Williams and Wagner.
Williams scored three runs and drove in six, including a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, and Wagner drove in three and scored four times.
Armstrong, Evan Kimble, Eli Moore, Patton Hull and Elijah Good had two hits each and Campbell and Zack Wright added one apiece. Kimble drove in four and Campbell and Armstrong scored three each.
Campbell picked up the win, allowing just two hits and no runs over four innings. Wright pitched the fifth.
Devon Burgess had two hits for the Warriors and Dillon Dunz was charged with the mound loss, allowing eight hits and seven earned runs over two innings.
Highland is in the middle of a huge Pioneer District baseball week.
The Rams played a doubleheader at Narrows on Tuesday, they are at Bath County today, and go to Covington on Friday.
Last Tuesday’s Linescore
East. Mont. 000 001 2 - 3 7 2
Highland 320 100 x - 5 5 3
WP: John Wagner (3-0); LP: Austin Tate
Last Thursday’s Linescore
Highland 723 0(11) - 23 18 1
Pocahontas 000 02 - 2 4 2
WP: Michael Campbell (1-0); LP: Dillon Dunz
HR: Colton Williams (2nd inning, 1 on)