The Recorder on May 15, 2025
Eli Moore celebrates with his team after hitting his second home run of the game, lifting the Rams past the Chargers.
HOT SPRINGS — In a clutch showing, the Highland Rams battled back from behind to overwhelm the Bath County Chargers and win a crucial Pioneer District game, 16-6, last Thursday.
It started as a back-and-forth brawl. Highland began the game strong, taking a 2-0 lead at the end of the first inning. The Chargers got one back on the Rams in the second.
Highland pitcher John Wagner started well but walked Bath’s Cooper Lowry on four straight pitches. Lowry then stole second base, before Hunter Kirby hit a power deep ball to center field, which got down for a double, allowing Lowry to round the bases and score. Highland finished the second inning up 2-1.
The Rams answered with another run in the third inning, thanks to a fielding error by Bath, allowing Patton Hull to score, growing Highland’s lead to 3-1. The Chargers kept the Rams in check, however.
Issac Ingram hit a single and eventually went to second on a wild pitch. Owen Purdue then hit a single into center field, allowing Ingram to score, pulling the score to 3-2.
Issac Ingram’s two hits led the Chargers last Thursday.
Nathan Hunt, pitching for the Chargers, allowed a single early in the fourth. However, he struck out the next two batters before getting a routine pop-out to end the inning quickly. Bath carried that momentum into the bottom of the inning.
With runners on second and third, Ingram, the Chargers’ leading hitter, was next to bat. After a 2-1 count, Ingram hit a ground ball to second base. But a crucial fielding error led to Ingram reaching first safely, as Issac Phillips and Ryan Ratcliffe both scored for the Chargers, giving the home team the lead.
The Chargers couldn’t capitalize further and finished the inning with a narrow 4-3 lead.
Wagner, the Rams’ leading hitter, was hitless through the first four innings. But he regained his form when Highland needed a spark, hitting a line-drive single, bringing in Hull to score, and advancing to second to tie the game.
Eli Moore finished what Wagner had started. He connected for a huge hit that carried over the fence for a three-run homer. Moore’s home run allowed the Rams to regain control of the game as they left the fifth leading the Chargers, 7-4.
John Wagner pitched five innings for the Rams, striking out seven batters.
Bath answered once again. Wyatt Campbell hit a single, then used his speed to steal second and third. Lowry then hit a single, allowing Campbell to score, as Bath battled back, down 7-5. But that would be the closest Bath got to regaining the lead.
The Chargers’ defense held up well in the top of the sixth inning, only allowing one more run for the Rams. Campbell added another hit, driving in Ingram to keep Highland’s lead manageable at 8-6 before heading into the final inning.
In the top of the seventh, the Rams broke the Chargers. Moore’s bat lit up again, this time connecting with another pitch from Lowry for a two-run homer. The runs piled on for Highland. Zach Armstrong’s walk, Hull’s single, and Evan Kimble’s huge double all helped the Rams score run after run in the sixth. Moore got one more bat in the inning, hitting a double and driving in Kimble for the final run. Bath went scoreless in the bottom of the seventh.
Nathan Hunt helped the Chargers fight early on the mound.
“Those two hits from Eli (Moore) — he opened it up there and got us a little momentum,” said Ram head coach Cole Armstrong. “Then it seemed like Bath came right back, and kudos to those guys, but then Eli hit that last home run, and that really sealed the deal for us.”
Hunt had a good start on the mound for Bath, going four innings striking out four, allowing four hits, and limiting the Rams to five runs. Ingram led the Chargers with two hits. The Chargers, as a team, totaled 12 hits compared to Highland’s nine but stranded too many players on base.
“We battled two, three times in the game and finally took the lead,” said Charger coach Jake Phillips. “We just couldn’t hold on to the lead. Just too many walks and too many mental mistakes.”
Wagner and Armstrong both had good days pitching for the Rams. Wagner had seven strikeouts in five innings, but allowed nine hits. Armstrong struck out four in two innings, only giving up three hits and one run. Moore was the best bat of the day with three hits, including two home runs and a double.
Ram Elijah Good takes a swing late in the game. (Recorder photos by Zach Potter)
“It definitely feels great,” said Moore about the win and his two homers, “It’s all from practicing hard, working every day at it and never giving up. I couldn’t have done it without my team.”
Last Thursday’s Linescore
Highland 201 041 8 – 16 9 1
Bath County 011 211 0 – 6 12 3
WP: John Wagner (5-3); LP: Nathan Hunt
(1-2)
HR: Eli Moore 2 (5th inning, 2 on; 7th inning, 1 on)