FREDERICKTOWN — The Fredericktown Freddies, the No. 4 team in the Central District, earned a big 6-3 win against the visiting Northmor Golden Knights, the No. 3 team in the district, in Thursday’s nonconference baseball showdown.
Fredericktown won with a strong start from pitcher Justin Snyder (2-0) and lefty Matt Smith’s fifth save of the season.
Northmor pitcher Charlie Burggraf got off to a rocky start, giving up five walks and a run in the first two innings, including a bases-loaded walk by the Freddies’ leading hitter, third baseman Brandon Moss (.515) that pushed rightfielder Mitch Sellers (.389) home with the first run. Sellers had a double in his only official at bat; he walked in his other three plate appearances and scored three times.
“It’s about being aggressive at the plate,” said Fredericktown coach Tom Craze. “We’re looking for one pitch in the zone — a good pitch to hit. Again, we got the timely hitting that we needed.”
“Coach Craze tells us to be aggressive,” said Sellers, who is second on the Freddies in runs scored with 18. “I can’t be aggressive all the time. I just wait until I see a pitch and, if it’s not there, I let it go by. Just that perfect pitch, right down the middle. Not a curveball, nothing off-speed, just a straight fastball down the middle.”
Craze seems to like Sellers’ selection of pitches.
