By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
After getting rained out of its spring break tournament, the Carlisle Bison baseball team got back on track Monday with a 13-3 home win over North Pulaski.
Trey Wilson started on the mound and got the win for the Bison, who improved to 8-1 on the season. North Pulaski’s Jacob Walter took the loss for the Falcons, who fell to 0-4.
A combination of 13 Carlisle base hits and seven North Pulaski errors led to the run-rule shortened six-inning game.
Carlisle’s three and four hitters provided the game’s highlight in the third inning. Leading 2-1, Wilson and sophomore Deron Ricks hit back-to-back homeruns. Wilson’s drive over the left-field fence made drove in Tommy Inman, who had just doubled to right field. Ricks’ shot went out at straightaway centerfield and gave Carlisle a 5-1 lead.
The Falcons got one back in the top of the fourth. Cleanup hitter Austin Allen led off with a double and scored after two sacrifice grounders, one by Troy Allen and the other by Jospeh Gregg for the RBI.
In the bottom of the fourth, Bison leadoff hitter Chris Hart tripled to right field with one out, and scored on an error in shallow left field on Inman’s at bat.
Carlisle came within one run of ending it after five innings after posting five runs. Deric Herring and Josh Mathis were hit by pitches to start the inning. Mathis hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners with one out.
Austin Reed then singled to right field to drive in one run. An error at second base off the bat of Conner Fields scored another. Hayden Hoover then singled to right for an RBI that again put runners on first and third. Hoover was thrown out by Troy Allen while trying to steal second base and Fields scored from third on the double-steal attempt. Hart then singled to left field and advanced to second on an error. He then scored on an error in centerfield.
The Falcons got an unearned run in the top of the sixth. Troy Allen walked and scored two batters later on a error at shortstop to make it 11-3.
Carlisle loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but still hadn’t scored with two outs. Ricks started the rally with a triple down the right-field line. Herring was then hit by a pitch and Mathis walked.
North Pulaski relief pitcher Tyler Mogish struck out Reed and got Fields to pop up to second base. Hoover then singled to right field to drive in two runs and end the game.
Wilson threw five innings for Carlisle. He gave up just three hits, struck out nine and walked three Falcons while allowing two earned runs. He fanned the side to get out of a serious jam in the second inning after putting the first three batters on base. He also fanned the side in the fifth inning, wrapping three strikeouts around a hit batter and a walk.
Leadoff hitter Hart reached base on all four at bats. He reached twice on errors and got a triple, a single and scored three runs.
Inman also reached all four times and also reached on two errors while collecting two hits. He had one RBI and one run scored.
Ricks finished with two hits and also reached by getting hit. Reed and Hoover also had two hits each.
One thing Carlisle couldn’t do was steal on NP catcher Troy Allen. He gunned down three Bison stolen-base attempts.
