KEYSER, W.Va. — Northern started hitting at the onset Tuesday, and it never stopped.
The Huskies tagged Keyser for three runs in the opening frame, and they tacked on two more in the second, eight in the third and four in the fourth.
In a matchup of youth vs. experience, Northern’s experience won out in a big way, as the second-ranked Huskies pounded Keyser, 17-0, in five innings on Tuesday evening.
“I like how we came out and got off to a fast start,” Northern head coach Phil Carr said. “Their pitcher had been pitching decent against some other teams. I told our guys in a huddle pregame that we were going to be facing a little challenge to hit the baseball.
“We needed to make them field baseballs, and we put some pressure on them.”
Northern (4-0) had nine different batters hit safely, 10 score runs and eight tally at least one RBI.
Leading the Husky offense was Wally Brands and Luke Ross. Brands was 3 for 5 with four RBIs and scored three times, and Ross ended 3 for 4 with a double, three RBIs, three runs and a stolen base.
Cole Folk doubled and drove in two runs, Caleb Hinebaugh doubled, had an RBI and scored three times, Devin McKenzie doubled and had an RBI, Liam Stewart scored twice, and Jacob Chambers, Luke Brenneman and Nick Riley also garnered runs batted in.
“It’s nice to have wins where everybody contributes something,” Carr said. “We had everybody contribute today, whether it was in the field or at the plate. Those guys work just as hard as the guys that are starting, so it’s nice to see those guys get opportunities to play and do well when they get those chances.”
Northern LHP Robert Deatelhauser cruised through four shutout innings to earn the victory on just one hit with five strikeouts and a walk.
Ross pitched a scoreless fifth inning, fanning one, to give Northern the run-rule victory.
“It’s a good team against a young team,” Keyser head coach Scott Rohrbaugh said. “We competed for a little while. I don’t think we competed as much as we’ve been, but when you start getting down — and that’s been our Achilles’ heel the last couple games, errors.”
Keyser (3-5) made four errors affording Northern seven unearned runs.
The two most costly miscues came in the third inning when Northern scored six runs and had eight consecutive batters reach base before the Golden Tornado recorded an out.
Northern’s defense, meanwhile, shined making no miscues.
The Huskies’ glovework was on full display in the third when the squad turned a 6-4-3 double play to erase Deatelhauser’s lone free pass.
One pitch later, Lucas Williamson laced a hot shot off the glove of Hinebaugh, Northern’s third baseman, but Folk, the team’s shortstop, was quick to the ball and fired a throw across the diamond in time for an unusual 5-6-3 putout.
Williamson, who tallied a base hit in his first at-bat for Keyser’s lone base knock, was dealt the loss on the mound. He was relieved by Cole Holland and Lucas Davy.
Northern (2-0 Western Maryland Athletic Conference) returns to action at home against Fort Hill (3-2, 2-2 WestMAC) on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Keyser will hope to bounce back in a home game against Berkeley Springs on Friday at 6 p.m.
“The next two days we have a lot of work to do, but it’s to be expected with a young team,” Rohrbaugh said. “Most of these guys are first-year players at this level.”