Prep Baseball: Finding Their Footing

The Harrisburg High School baseball team seemed to have found its footing this week, winning 4 out of 5, including a pair of games this weekend against West Frankfort and Marion.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs used a balanced offense to beat Marion 6-3 and knocked off West Frankfort 11-0.

In the win against Marion, Matthew Phipps finished 2-for-3 including a home run to lead things off in the first inning, while Austin Hefner also went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Noah Vallette, Aaron Johnson, Britton Riden and Carson Batts all had a hit, while Vallette, Johnson and Riden all had RBI for Harrisburg, who is now 10-9 on the year.

Sykes Thompson and Carson Batts tag-teamed on the mound to get the win for the Bulldogs as Thompson picked up the win to improve to 2-2 on the year.

Thompson went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out five and walking one.

Batts came in out of relief and worked 1 2/3, striking out three, while scattering just two hits.

Against West Frankfort, Phipps moved to 2-1 on the year, working five innings and allowing just one hit, while striking out three.

The hit parade started early and often against the Redbirds as Harrisburg avenged an earlier season loss to West Frankfort, scoring seven runs in the third and four more runs in the fourth.

Thompson went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while the other multiple hit game went to Vallette, who finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Phipps went 1-for-3 at the plate, but drove in three runs, while Isiah Saulsberry, Bryce Emery, Batts, Riden and Johnson all had one hit. Batts finished with two RBI, while Johnson and Saulsberry each had one.