NTL BASEBALL: ATHENS BLANKS WILLIAMSON, 11-0, FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN; ROWE, JACOB COMBINE ON NO-HITTER (2024-04-14)

Valley Sports Report
TIOGA JUNCTION, Pa. — Junior Carson Rowe, and senior Nicholas Jacob combined on a no-hitter, and a seven-run third-inning rally was more than enough for the Wildcats in an 11-0 five-inning win over Williamson here Sunday afternoon in NTL baseball action.

With the win, the Wildcats even their record at 3-3 after losing the first three games of the season.

“This is definitely a nice win,” said Athens coach Charlie Havens. “Getting back to .500 baseball is a big step forward for us.

“We are hitting and playing good defense,” noted Havens. “We have three big games this week … coach Kraft has been preaching ‘1-0 today’ even in practices, and it seems to be a solid philosophy that the kids are buying into.”

Rowe, who struck out four, had to work around five walks and hit two hit batters in his four innings of work to earn the win.

“Carson Rowe didn’t have his best stuff today, but he really battled and was able to pitch out of a couple jams,” said Havens. “It’s hard to say someone didn’t have their best stuff when they didn’t give up a hit, but that says a lot about him.”

Rowe hit a batter, and walked one in the first inning, then picked a runner off third base, and registered a strikeout to escape the jam unscathed.

He walked two more in the second, but left them both stranded.

Rowe then started the Athens fireworks in the top of the third inning with a groundball double down the right-field line.

After a walk to sophomore Eli Chapman, freshman Connor Davidson looped an RBI single to right field to make it 1-0. Chapman and Davidson scored moments later on a Warrior error to extend the lead to 3-0.

After a walk to junior Troy Rosenbloom, another Williamson error resulted in two more runs to make it 5-0. Two more errors extended the lead to 6-0.

After a single by sophomore Cooper Robinson put runners on first and third, Rowe capped the rally with RBI ground to make it 7-0.

Rowe pitched around a two-out walk in the bottom of the third, and the Wildcats added two more runs in the fourth on a two-RBI single by senior Connor Mosher.

Rowe walked the lead-off hitter in the bottom of the fourth, then hit the next batter, but once again worked out of it with a strikeout, and two groundouts.

Athens added two more runs in the fifth on an RBI ground out off the bat of sophomore Nick Grazul, and an RBI triple by freshman Brenden Cooke to make it 11-0.

Jacob took over on the mound in the fifth, and retired the side in order, including a pair of strikeouts.

Grazul singled, scored two runs, and had three RBI, Mosher singled, scored one run, and had two RBI, and Davidson singled, scored two runs, and drove in one run to lead Athens’ eight-hit attack.

Cooke tripled and drove in one run in the win, while Chapman doubled and scored two runs, Rowe doubled, scored one run, and knocked in one run, junior Dylan Saxon, and Robinson each added a single, Rosenbloom scored two runs, and Jacob crossed the plate once.

Athens, now 3-3, returns to action Tuesday when it hosts NEB.

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IN PHOTO: Athens sophomore Nick Grazul. … VSR STOCK PHOTO.