Valley Sports ReportEAST TROY — Athens could not overcome seven errors as Troy handed the Wildcats their first NTL loss of the season here Thursday in Large School Division baseball action.
With the loss, Athens, now 9-2 overall, falls to 6-1 in divisional play — one game ahead of Troy and North Penn-Mansfield, both 5-2.
The Wildcats banged out three base hits in the top of the first inning, but a pick-off at second base kept them out of a potential big inning.
The Trojans answered with two runs in the home half of the first on a pair of two-out singles, and an outfield error on the second single that allowed both runs to score.
The Wildcats also took advantage of an error in the top of the second inning to close the gap to 2-1, and tied the game when senior Troy Rosenbloom was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home a run to tie the game at 2-2.
Three Athens errors and a walk led to a pair of Troy runs and a 4-2 lead in the top of the second inning.
Junior Eli Hobday and sophomore Kam Wheeler led off the top of the third inning with back-to-back singles, and junior Eli Chapman knocked home a run with a two-out RBI single to trim the deficit to 4-3.
The Trojans answered with two runs in the bottom of the third inning, scoring their first run on a passed ball, and the second on an RBI single by Evan Woodward to make it 6-3.
Troy tacked on a run in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Brendan Gilliland to extend the lead to 7-3.
The Trojans added an unearned run in the fifth inning to make it 8-3.
Sophomore Connor Davidson's RBI single in the top of the sixth inning provided the final margin.
Davidson singled twice and drove in one run to pace Athens' eight-hit attack, while Wheeler and Eli Hobday each singled and scored one run, and Rosenbloom scored one run and knocked in one run.
Juniors Nick Grazul, Karson Sipley, and Chapman, and sophomore Brady Flynn each added a single for the Wildcats, and senior Dylan Saxon crossed the plate once.
Davidson was tagged with the loss, allowing seven runs — only two earned — on five hits and three walks, while striking out one in three innings of work.
Sophomore Duncan Thetga allowed one unearned run on one hit, with one strikeout and no walks in three innings of relief.
Athens returns to action Friday at Sayre.
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING.
