Hopewell Junior High Ends Season on 6-Game Win Streak, Beats Beaver 11-2

A tremendous season for the Hopewell Junior Baseball team was capped off with an 11-2 win over Beaver.

The kids were able to play this game at Hopewell High School, the next place that a lot of these 8th graders will be playing.

With todays win, the Vikings finished the season with a record of 8-3 and won six consecutive games.

This afternoon, Hopewell got good pitching, an error free game on defense and a lot of hitting. Speaking of offense, Hopewell scored 10+ runs in their last 4 games.

8th grader James Armstrong started for Hopewell and went 4 innings, allowing only 3 hits, 1 ER, 4 walks and struck out 7 batters. Right-handed Camden Hoth pitched the last 3 innings, allowing only 1 hit, 1 ER, 0 walks and struck out 2.

Beaver has their best chance to take control in the 1st inning but Armstrong pitched his way out of trouble. Beaver went up 1-0 and had the bases loaded with just one out but Armstrong struck out the next two hitters.

In the top of the second, Beaver got a one-out single but that runner was erased when Luke Vukovcan threw him out trying to steal second.

Hopewell took the lead in their half of the second when Hoth scored on a wild pitch and Ryan Gaguzis came through with a clutch 2-out single, which scored Jackson Yurcina.  Hopewell led 2-1.

Beaver threatened in the third as they got a runner to third with 2 outs, but Armstrong struck out Niedbala to end the inning.

Hopewell scored two more in the 3rd inning when Collin Davis singled in Owen Ackerman and Armstrong hit a sacrifice fly to CF, which drove in Josh Gill.

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Hopewell led 4-1 after three innings.

Beaver got nothing going in their 4th inning as Armstrong struck out the side, which was a strong way to end his junior high career.

Hopewell put the game away in the bottom of the 4th inning as they plated 4 runs. Vukovcan led off with a single to left, which was followed by a Jayvion Lindsey double. Next up, Gaguzis reached on a Beaver error which brought in two Hopewell runners. The last two runs in the inning scored on a 2-out single by Hoth.

Hopewell led 8-1 after 4 innings.

Moving ahead to the 6th inning, Beaver got a run to make it 10-2 but Hoth stayed strong by striking out two Bobcat hitters.

Hopewell scored their final run in the 6th on an RBI single by Lindsey, which scored Yurcina, who reached on a sharp single to left.

Hoth stayed on to pitch the 7th inning and got some help from his defense. RF Maddox Fattore made a nice sliding catch to start the inning and the game ended when Yurcina fielded a hard hit ball at second and threw over to Andrew Arzberger at first.

The 2024 junior high season comes to an end but many of these players will continue playing Pony League.