WEDNESDAY, March 29, 2023
ALTOONA-MIDWAY HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
YATES CENTER – The Yates Center High School baseball team – with the help of a quartet of players from Altoona-Midway High School – opened its 2023 spring season Monday, dropping a pair of games against Northeast High School.
Northeast claimed both ends of the doubleheader, with the Vikings winning 24-6 in the opener and 19-5 in the nightcap.
Yates Center is once again working with Altoona-Midway in a state-approved cooperative agreement, which allows AMHS students to participate on the Wildcats’ baseball team. Baseball is not offered as a spring sport for the Jets.
This year four members of the YCHS baseball squad are from Altoona-Midway. Donning Wildcat uniforms this spring include juniors Jacob Meigs and Blaine Collins, sophomore Williams Stackhouse, and freshman Kage Beck.
Last season, Meigs was the only baseball player from AMHS to participate for Yates Center.
The Wildcat baseball team is coached by Jarrod McVey. His assistant coach is Lane Huffman.
“Both games were competitive early. We showed a few signs of the hard work we have been doing and I was proud of the boys for battling,” Coach McVey commented. “But unfortunately, we just didn't execute a lot of things well. We will continue to work hard to get better day in and day out as a team.”
In the opener, Northeast plated four runs in the top of the first and increased their lead to 7-0, but the Wildcats battled back and trimmed the deficit to 11-6 after three innings. However, a nine-run inning in the fourth by Northeast ended any hopes of a comeback and the Vikings went on to win 24-6.
Meigs ripped a triple and had two RBI in the opening contest. Emmit George paced the Wildcats with two hits and three RBI. Jayston Rice plated a pair of runs for the Cats.
Northeast was led by Young and Willard, who combined for three hits apiece, a total of nine RBI and seven runs scored. Troth also had a three-hit game for the Vikes, while Goodwin, Wade and Clemons each ripped two hits.
The second game was much more competitive than the final score would indicate. Yates Center held leads of 3-2 after one and 4-3 after three innings of play. Northeast held a slim 5-4 advantage heading into the fifth inning, when the Vikings scored five runs and then tacked on nine the next inning to pull away for the 19-5 triumph.
Meigs had one of the Wildcats’ five hits in the nightcap and also scored a run. Canon Cavender led YCHS with two hits, two RBI, and three runs scored. Rice also had a pair of RBI in a losing cause.
Meigs also started on the mound for Yates Center, allowing four earned runs and striking out two in 3.1 innings. Stackhouse and Beck also saw mound duties for the Cats, along with Rice and Tristian Ballin.
Northeast got four hits and four RBI from Wade, three hits and two RBI from Sparks, and two hits and three RBI apiece from Hollaway and Young.