By David Sharp
North Shelby (6-2) battled a game Highland ball club through a close contest until the Raiders broke through with four runs in the fifth inning and three more in the bottom of the sixth for a 9-1 win at North Shelby in April 14, 2022 varsity baseball play.
JD Rich was hit by a Drew Smith pitch in the North Shelby first inning. Robert Uhlmeyer drove Rich home with a base hit. Casey Shockley plated Uhlmeyer with an RBI ground out for a 2-0 Raider lead after one inning of play.
Highland (0-6) got on the board when Shockley hit Luke Geisendorfer with a pitch leading off the Cougar fourth. Geisendorfer scored on an error for the 2-1 score after four innings.
Uhlmeyer led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a North Shelby base hit. Shockley plated Uhlmeyer with a ground out. Coleman Hultz came in to pitch for Highland.
Cale Stoneburner doubled Kyle Smith in for a 4-1 Raider lead. Keaton Roan knocked in two more runs with a single. Hultz fanned a batter to end the inning. North Shelby led 6-1 after five innings.
Hultz picked a North Shelby batter off base for the first out of the sixth inning. Kyle Smith drove Uhlmeyer home for a 7-1 Raider lead. Uhlmeyer reached on a one out double.
Landon Bender drove in two more insurance runs with a two out, two RBI single. Shockley nailed down the win, setting the Cougars down in order in the seventh inning.
North Shelby scored nine runs on nine hits. Uhlmeyer was 3-4 with three runs scored and a Raider RBI. Keaton Roan was 2-4 with two runs batted in.
Shockley went the seven inning distance on the mound, striking out 11 batters with two walks on one hit.
Highland scored one run on one hit. Drew Smith pitched four and a third innings for Highland with six strikeouts, five walks on three hits. Four runs charged to the Cougar starter were earned.
Hultz pitched an inning and 2/3 with two strikeouts, one walk on six hits. All five runs charged to Hultz were earned.
