ATHENS PUTS IT TOGETHER IN 8-1 WIN OVER TOWANDA
By: Chris Manning | AthensWildcats.com | April 7, 2021 | Photo courtesy Chris Manning
ATHENS — It’s been an up-and-down start to 2021 for the Athens baseball
team, but in its 8-1 win over Towanda on Wednesday, coach Charlie Havens
believes things are starting to come together.
“That was by far
the best game we’ve played,” he said. “No errors today. You get behind
(Mason) Lister with what he was doing today, it made it easy on us.”
Lister
went 6 1/3-innings for the win, striking out 10 while allowing four
walks, one hit and one earned run. Karter Rude came on for the final
two-thirds, striking out one with one walk and a hit.
“He did a
lot of work today,” Havens said about Lister, who also had a few putouts
from the mound. “And when he’s on the mound, we just have a little bit
different energy. We just came to play today.”
Six players had
the seven hits for Athens, as Kaden Setzer (2-for-2) with two RBI, and a
run scored led the way. Rude (1-for-2), Ben Vough (1-for-2), Cameron
Sullivan (1-for-3), Lister (1-for-3) and Kyler Setzer (1-for-2) also had
hits.
Rude also had a double with two RBI and a run scored, and
Sullivan had a run scored and an RBI. Vough, Lister, Jaren Peterson and
Kyler Setzer all scored runs. Lucas Kraft scored a run and knocked one
in for Athens as well.
Mason Johnson (1-for-3) and Aaron Bardell
(1-for-3) had the two Towanda hits. Bardell had an RBI, and Austin
Fowler scored their run.
Octavious Chacona started and went four
innings and was tagged with the loss. He struck out seven while allowing
two walks, five hits and six runs, four of which were earned.
Ethan Sparrow finished, striking out two with one walk, two hits and two unearned runs.
Nobody
scored until the bottom of the second. Lister led off with a single,
and Kyler Setzer had a two-out single, followed by a Kaden Setzer, which
scored Lister and Kyler Setzer to make it 2-0.
Two batters later, Rude doubled in Kaden Setzer and Peterson for a 4-0 lead.
Towanda
would threaten in the top fourth, getting two runners in scoring
position with one out, but Lister got a strikeout, then a put out to end
the threat.
Athens scored four more runs in the bottom of the
fifth. Rude led off with a walk. Vough then singled, advancing Rude to
third base.
Rude would score on a Sullivan single for a 5-0 lead.
Two batters later, an error off the bat of Kraft scored Vough and
Sullivan to make it 7-0.
Three batters later, a two-out double from Kaden Setzter scored Kraft for the 8-0 advantage.
The
Knights would get a run in the seventh as Chase Parker walked to lead
off the at bat. Three batters later a two-out Bardell singled in Fowler,
who was running for Parker, to make it an 8-1 final.
Havens hopes this brings some stability to the team as the Wildcats have had an uneven start to the season.
“We
need to keep focusing on our defensive game,” he said. “We need to know
what to do with the ball when it’s hit to us. We’ve got a lot to learn,
and I think that’s the biggest thing. When we’re consistent defensively
we’ll be pretty tough.”
Athens, now 3-2 overall and 2-0 in NTL Large School play, hosts Troy Thursday.
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