BASEBALL

The Huntington baseball team kicked off their weekend series with Bethel by going 1-1 against their guests Friday afternoon at Forest Glen Park.

Game one was a pitcher’s duel with Bethel squeaking out a 2-1 win. The first frame was action-packed compared to the rest of the contest as both teams found home, HU’s by way of Ian McCutcheon’s bomb over the right field fence.

It was quiet after that until the seventh when Bethel scored the game-winner. For the game, both teams left six runners stranded while the Pilots collected ten hits to HU’s six.

Camden Dice was charged with the loss. In seven innings of work, he gave up nine hits, two runs and a walk while striking out three.

Huntington’s offense was fueled by homers in the nightcap as all but one of their runs came by way of the long ball in a 9-7 duel that favored the Foresters. It was a monstrous second frame for the hosts as they pieced together seven hits to the tune of six runs. Jaden Deel’s three-run blast kicked off HU’s scoring. McCutcheon singled in another run after which Langston Ginder launched a two-run shot over the right field fence.

The fourth saw Satchell Wilson send one yard with a runner on and then McCutcheon wrapped up his team’s scoring when he sent one deep to right center for a triple and then made is way home on an error on the same play.

The game’s flow saw Bethel bolt in front 2-0 after their first at-bat but Huntington’s big second quickly turned things around for Frame’s crew. Wilson’s two-run dinger in the fourth upped HU’s advantage to 8-2 before the Pilots went off for five runs in the sixth to ensure the hosts didn’t get too comfortable.

The first five batters accounted for all but one of the Foresters’ 12 hits in the game with Matt Wolff racking up four, McCutcheon adding three hits, three runs and an RBI and Wilson collecting two hits and two RBI.

Joey Butz earned the win on the bump by striking out five while giving up seven hits, five runs and  three walks.

With the split, HU moves to 18-16 overall, 16-10 in league play. Huntington is back in action tomorrow for another doubleheader with the Pilots at Forest Glen.