No. 4 Allegany downs No. 5 Fort Hill behind Madden's shutout

CUMBERLAND — Allegany and Fort Hill battled the elements as much as each other Saturday, and the Campers won both matchups.

Right-hander Kohen Madden seemingly got stronger as a light rain turned into a steady stream, and No. 4 Allegany rode his three-hit shutout and manufactured just enough offense to defeat No. 5 Fort Hill, 3-0.

"We talk all the time about how we play the hand we're dealt," Allegany manager Jon Irons said. "We don't make excuses. We don't talk about things like the weather. That's always our mentality. We're going to come play the hand we're dealt.

"We did a really good job of that today. Kohen battled through."

Allegany upped its record to 9-5 overall and 4-2 in the Western Maryland Athletic Conference. Fort Hill fell to 8-7-1 (3-3 WestMAC).

The Campers have won three straight, and the Sentinels have lost three in a row.

Allegany and Fort Hill moved the start time up to beat the rain, and the heaviest of it held off until the fifth inning.

It didn't seem to bother the amphibious Madden, who retired 12 straight batters spanning the final out of the third inning to the second out of the seventh.

After a two-out walk, Madden came back and tossed his eighth strikeout for the final out. The junior's breaking ball was his out pitch in the late stages.

"Once I got control of my fastball, I felt good with it," he said. "And I felt good coming in with sliders and change-ups at the end once I started getting on my fastball a little bit."

Madden didn't need much support, but the game was scoreless entering the fourth with Fort Hill's Bobby Brauer pitching a gem of his own.

The right-handed Brauer opened the proceedings with a three-pitch inning and held the Campers to one base hit through three shutout frames.

Allegany worked counts to manufacture two runs in the fourth, seeing 39 pitches, and one in the fifth on 27 deliveries.

Eston Powell pushed across Allegany's first run on a two-out bases-loaded walk, and Kyran Freeman legged out an RBI infield single for a 2-0 lead after four frames.

Fort Hill shortstop Colt Resh nearly prevented the second run with a heads-up play. He correctly tried to get the third out at third base on a bouncing ball in the hole, but the Sentinels didn't get a close call.

Dylan Irons worked a bases-loaded walk for Allegany's third and final run in the fifth.

It was an even game on the line score as Allegany finished with four hits and one error and Fort Hill had three knocks and no errors. The difference was six Sentinels walks issued in the fourth and fifth frames.

"I was really pleased with how we played," Fort Hill skipper Taner Brode said. "A call doesn't go our way. A couple walks here and there hurt us. Ultimately, walking two runs in, that's never a good thing.

"Overall, though, besides the disappointments and the letdowns, we're in a good spot."