Railroaders blow by Hadley-Luzerne, Poultney

By Dan King

Runs keep coming easy for the Whitehall varsity baseball team and the pitching has stymied opponents’ offenses.

Last Wednesday, the Railroaders were at Hadley-Luzerne to do battle with the Eagles, and toppled them, 14-1. Hoagland

Pitchers Justin Hoagland, Christian Poczobut and Tyler Thomas threw a combined one-hitter for Whitehall, with the lone Hadley-Luzerne hit coming from Tanner DeMarsh.

Hoagland was even better at the plate than on the mound, crushing a grand slam and a two-run double, as he finished with six RBI for the prolific Railroaders’ offense. Senior Chad Amerio also hit a long ball for the victors, driving in two runs.

The Eagles’ lone run occurred in the first inning, and after that Hoagland, Poczobut and Thomas hurled near perfection on the hill. Poczobut got credit for the win, improving his record to 2-1.

After being on the road for the prior three games, the Railroaders were ready for some home cooking on Saturday, when they squared off with Poultney, Vt.

Whitehall would put up double-digit runs yet again, besting the Blue Devils by a 16-4 count. The Railroaders scored four in the first and 11 in the fourth, helping freshman Evan St. Claire lock down the win in his first varsity start.

St. Claire, through five innings of work, struck out 10, surrendering only four runs.

Offensively, the Railroaders got extra-base hits from Hoagland, Poczobut and Seth Martindale. Poczobut was 3-for-3 at the dish and Hoagland was 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Julian Barber, who moved to first base from catcher for the non-league game, went 3-for-5, driving in four runs.

Monday, the Railroaders hosted the combined Fort Edward/Argyle team in the final home game of the season.

After building a 9-2 lead, the Railroaders were forced to call it a day as a torrential downpour began.

Whitehall (12-3, 8-1) was at Ticonderoga on Wednesday, after this edition had already gone to press. The game against Ticonderoga was the final scheduled regular season game for the Railroaders, who now prepare for a sectional run.