Baseball - Southmoreland vs Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant and Southmoreland baseball swap lead back and forth, but Scotties prevail 6-4  

You could call it the Battle of 981. Five miles of State Route 981, divided halfway by US Route 119, is about all that separates Southmoreland and Mount Pleasant high schools. But after four innings of baseball with the season winding down to an end, the neighboring schools were together at 4 on the scoreboard, in a game that both teams wanted to win with a passion. But it was the Scotties who would claim the bragging rights on this day, scoring a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings, then holding on for the 6-4 home victory over the Vikings.  

Mount Pleasant got on the board in the first inning when Joe Shrum doubled to score Trevor Mason and Jared Wagner for a 2-0 lead. The Vikings kept Southmoreland in check until the third inning, when Cade Richter singled to drive in Bryce Platt and put the Scotties on the scoreboard. Then Max Zimmerman singled before Mark Farmer drove Richter in with a ball that dropped into center field. Travis Sipple's single to right scored Zimmerman to put the Scotties on top 3-2. The Vikings got back on top in their half of the fourth when George Tetteris tripled to score Noah Lynch, then Trevor Mason's double scored Tetteris for a 4-3 lead. But the Scotties tied the game in their half of the fourth with Bryce Platt scoring on Jaden Datz's sacrifice fly to left. Southmoreland took the lead for good in the fifth with Cade Richter scoring on a fielder's choice, then added an insurance run in the sixth when Ben Zimmerman scored on a ground ball in the infield. Mount Pleasant put a runner on base in the seventh on a walk, but he was retired at second base on a fielder's choice to end the game with the Scotties on top, 6-4. 

Ben and Max Zimmerman each had a pair of hits for Southmoreland, with Cade Richter picking up two RBIs. Mount Pleasant was led by George Tetteris with 3 hits and Jared Wagner with 2 hits. Tetteris had the game's only triple while Trevor Mason and Joe Shrum each had a double for the Vikings.

Travis Sipple pitched six innings and picked up the win, with Mason Basinger pitching the seventh for the Scotties. Trevor Mason started and threw four innings for the Vikings with Hunter Tate closing out the last two innings in the loss.     

Watch this link for a full gallery of action photos available for purchase or sharing the day after the game.