HOME RUN DERBY: Napier’s 3 homers lift Wildcats past Wellsville

Louisburg freshman catcher Danny Napier hit three home runs in one game Thursday during the doubleheader opener at Wellsville. Napier also finished with 9 RBIs.

WELLSVILLE — Danny Napier may be just a freshman, but with three swings of the bat, he put himself in the Louisburg baseball history books.

Napier cranked three home runs and had 9 RBIs in the Wildcats’ 12-3 victory in Thursday’s doubleheader opener over Wellsville. He then followed it up with a double and another RBI in Louisburg’s 6-3 win in the nightcap at Wellsville. Napier also threw out two runners from behind the plate.

It was a memorable outing for a Wildcat team that got a much-needed sweep after falling to Spring Hill for the second time, earlier last week.

As for Napier, it was the first time a Wildcat player hit three home runs in one game and there has never been a player to drive home nine runs in a contest, prior to Thursday.

“Danny was really seeing the ball well all night,” Louisburg coach Kade Larson said. “To our knowledge we have never had a player hit three home runs in a single game, let alone have 9 RBIs. He was on an absolute tear that game and really helped the team. He brings a ton of natural power to the plate and has a chance to hit one out every time he steps to the plate.”

Louisburg senior Corbin Hamman also put together a dominant performance on the mound. He finished one out shy of a complete game.

Hamman gave up just one earned run on five hits and struck out 10. Junior Declan Battle got the final out to secure the Wildcat victory.

“Corbin threw really well all night,” Larson said. “He mixed pitches well to keep hitters off balance. Corbin was able to work out of a few jams and never backed down no matter the situation.”

Along with Napier, the Wildcat bats came alive as the team combined for 15 hits in that first game. Sophomore Luke Schultz, senior Cade Driskell and Battle all tallied three hits. Battle, Driskell and Nathaniel Lamm each drove home a run, while Schultz scored three times.

The Wildcats (5-2) broke the game open a tie game with four runs in the third, then added two more in the sixth and five in the seventh to seal the win.

In the nightcap, the Wildcats got another strong pitching performance from freshman Bristol Barbour as he pitched six innings and gave up three runs on three hits. Barbour also struck out nine on the night.

Battle came in for the final inning of relief and struck out the side to secure the sweep for Louisburg.

“Bristol also threw really well,” Larson said. “He gave up a few hits but responded really well in some high pressure situations and got out of it while limiting any damage. He work ahead in the count and showed he loves to compete on the mound. 

The Wildcats had to rally from two runs down, but they bounced to back to tie the game in the third. Hamman singled home Wyatt Holland and then Napier doubled home senior Kaleb Carter to make it a 2-2 game.

Louisburg took the lead in the fifth when Jack Anderson scored on a Hamman groundout. The Wildcats added two more in the sixth on RBI singles from Anderson and Carter.

Battle, Schultz and Anderson each had two hits to lead the Wildcat offense and Hamman had 2 RBIs. Napier and Holland also doubled for Louisburg.

“It’s always great to leave with two wins,” Larson said. “The guys played well all night. We had some great at bats that kept pressure on them throughout the night. We can clean a few things up defensively, but overall I thought we played really well.

“The guys had a great approach in game two. They kept pressure on them all night and we had a ton of great team at bats. We hit a lot of balls hard right at the defenders. A lot of guys laid down some great bunts to move/score runners which is always great to see. We’ve had some great chemistry so far and everyone continues pulling for one another to get the job done.”

Louisburg drops single game to Spring Hill

Louisburg has won five of its first seven games to start the year, but those two losses have come at the hands of Spring Hill, including one last Tuesday.

The Wildcats traveled to Spring Hill for a lone contest, but came up short in a 5-1 loss to the Broncos.

Louisburg sophomore Alex Saad had a strong outing for the Wildcats as he pitched all six innings and gave up just three earned runs. He also had five strikeouts and just one walk.

Luke Schultz led the Wildcat bats with two hits and Wyatt Holland scored the team’s lone run on a Spring Hill error.

The Broncos took advantage of four Wildcat miscues and scored four runs in the first two innings. 

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