Indy’s Noah Howie hits a Grand Slam Home Run

On Friday night with temperatures dropping to the low forties die hard fans at Independence High School watched the Patriots send 42 batters to the plate, scoring 14 runs, hit two home runs, one being a grand slam, stealing home and then dropping a conference game to Porter Ridge 18-14.

After two at bats, Porter Ridge jumped out to a 4-0 lead scoring one run in the first when Jake Horstkamp reached on a error and scoring on a passed ball giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. In the top half of the second the Pirates scored three more runs. Indy was unable to turn a double play, and Porter Ridge’s Garrett Lanzo was safe at first with one out. Matt Bowman beat out a bunt and moved the runner to second. The Pirates’ lead off hitter Jake Horstkamp was awarded first base after being hit by a pitch loading the bases with only one out. Alex Pressley reached on an error scoring Lanzo. Ryan Dula followed with a single to score Bowman and Horstkamp to take a 4-0 lead after one and a half innings.

Indy came battling back with three runs in the bottom of the second. Noah Haislip led off with a double off the left field wall. Designated hitter Corbin Berkovics followed with a double to left field scoring Haislip. Not to be out done, Noah Howie doubled to score Berkovics. Howie came around scoring on an error to make the score 4-3 at the end of two innings.
Neither team could manage any runs in the third inning. However, the bats for both teams came alive in the the fourth inning. Porter Ridge sent eight batters to the plate scoring three runs on two hits and three walks to take a 7-3 lead after three and a half innings.

In the bottom half of the fourth Indy’s Noah Howie led off and reached on a error. Matthew Mangum came to the plate with one out and Howie on first. On an inside fast ball Mangum sent the ball high over the left field wall cutting Porter Ridge’s lead to 7-5. The Patriots got two more runs to tie the score 7-7. With the bases loaded, Noah Howie came to the plate for the second time in the inning and hit a grand slam home run over the left field wall giving the Patriots the lead 11-7 after four innings.

In the fifth inning the Pirates scored three runs cutting Indy’s lead to one run 11-10. Once again the Patriots came battling back scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth. One of the two runs came when Nate Brown was on third base. Porter Ridge’s catcher and pitcher were talking and Brown started walking toward home and then picked up speed and slid head first between the legs of the Indy batter. Indy’s two runs made the score 13-10 after five innings.

Moving to the seventh and final inning of regulation Independence led 13-10. However, in the top of the seventh Porter Ridge exploded for eight runs on six hits and four walks to take a 18-13 lead. In the bottom half of the inning the Patriots could only manage one run to make the final score 18-14.