STE. GENEVIEVE — St. Vincent used a combination of timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to take control early and pull away from Fredericktown on Friday.
The Indians broke open a close game with a 6-run third inning and went on to defeat the Blackcats 10-2.
Fredericktown struck first with a run in the opening inning, but St. Vincent responded in the third, sending multiple runners across the plate to take a 6-1 lead. The Indians added another run in the fourth and extended the advantage with a 2-run fifth before closing out the win.
St. Vincent finished with 12 hits and consistently pressured Fredericktown’s defense.
Gavin Hotop led the Indians at the plate, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and a run scored. Tyler Hennemann added a pair of hits and 2 RBI, while Andrew Hotop contributed a hit and drove in a run.
Andrew Schumer also had a strong day, recording a hit, an RBI and scoring a run. Kade Hennemann and Quinton Whistler added hits as part of a balanced offensive effort.
The Indians were aggressive on the bases as well, swiping multiple bags and taking advantage of Fredericktown miscues to extend innings.
On the mound, Cain Clifton earned the win for St. Vincent, working 4 innings while allowing 1 run on 1 hit with 9 strikeouts. Levi Schilling pitched 2 innings in relief, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, and Whistler closed out the game.
Fredericktown was limited to 5 hits.
D. Sink led the Blackcats with a hit and an RBI, while M. Montgomery and J. Coffey also recorded hits. Fredericktown struck out 12 times and struggled to generate consistent offense against St. Vincent’s pitching staff.
St. Vincent coach Corey Sauer said his team took advantage of the conditions and stayed aggressive throughout the game.
“On days like that, if you put the ball in play, good things are going to happen,” Sauer said. “We took advantage of some mistakes and played our style of baseball.”
The Indians also executed well in key situations, using bunts and baserunning to create scoring opportunities.
For Sauer, the performance was another sign of progress for a team that continues to develop.
“We’ve been playing some good baseball here lately,” he said.
