MCHENRY — Not even a lengthy rain delay could cool off the Fort Cumberland bats.
Post 13, leading 6-2 when a heavy batch of rain stopped the action for an hour-and-a-half, tacked on five more runs on six hits in the two innings that followed to build an insurmountable lead against Garrett County.
Led by a combined six hits and seven RBIs by Kohen Madden and Myles Bascelli, Fort Cumberland Post 13 rolled to an 11-5 win over Garrett County Post 71/208/214 on Tuesday at Garrett College to improve to 3-0 in district play.
“I thought we played a really good game,” Fort Cumberland manager Brian McAlpine said. “Hit very, very well. We ran the bases well. A lot of two-out hits, a lot of two-RBI hits.”
Fort Cumberland (3-1) has already surpassed its Mountain District win total of last summer. Garrett County finds itself in an 0-3 hole in the best-of-10 summer series.
Post 13 scored multiple runs in four of the first five innings. Madden was 3 for 4 with a double, four RBIs and two runs, Bascelli went 3 for 3 with three ribbies, Colt Resh finished 2 for 3, drove in two and scored twice, Liam Buck tripled, Coye Resh doubled and Cole Ricker garnered two runs.
Both starting pitchers were removed in the fourth inning. Garrett’s Ryan Bird exited after 3 1/3 frames, and a torrential downpour followed as reliever Jake Chambers began to warm up.
Buck exited after three innings due to the stoppage, finishing with a line of two runs on three hits with a strikeout and two walks.
Garrett had momentum against the Post 13 starter after a Landon Yoder two-out RBI knock and a Chambers sac fly lowered its deficit to 4-2 in the bottom of the third, but Fort Cumberland scored seven of the game’s next eight runs to grab control.
“I don’t think we were as competitive tonight, especially at the plate,” Garrett County manager Phil Carr said. “I thought we kind of checked out a little bit early, especially after the delay, and some teams handle (it) better than others, and we’ve got a group of some of our young guys.”
Yoder and Cole Folk had two hits each for Garrett. Yoder doubled, and Elliott Myers-Shirer and Folk each had an RBI.
Right-hander Cole Parks allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings in relief of Chambers, and southpaw Blake Burrell followed with a scoreless frame.
Dane Van Slyke and Bryson Krumpach added RBIs for Fort Cumberland.
Coye Resh was the winning pitcher since Buck didn’t go the necessary four innings to be eligible. Submarine specialist Brady Moran tossed a scoreless 1 1/3, and Colt Resh fanned four over a clean final 1 1/3.
“Got some quality innings out of a few different guys,” McAlpine said. “To spread out four or five different pitchers and come out with a quality win like that was pretty big for us.”
The rivals will be back in action on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Memorial Field.
Garrett County has ground to make up to make the series competitive, and Carr is hoping the team begins its turnaround with its ace Yoder on the mound in Potomac Park.
“You’re down at 3-0 already, and it’s a race to five for the tie,” Carr said, “so backs are against the wall even more now.”