First home game in nearly a month pays dividends for New Kent

Bruton's Devin Diesburg races toward second on a throwing error as another throw eludes New Kent second baseman Brennan Gray (right) and shortstop Steven Carpenter.

Alan Chamberlain photo

After posting a 1-5 record in a long series of road games along with enduring multiple rainouts, New Kent’s Trojans welcomed a return to the friendly confines of their home field. And the Trojans celebrated their first home baseball game since April 13 with a 4-1 triumph over Bruton’s Panthers.

“It was good to be back home,” said Trojan coach Michael Kuper after his team rose above the .500 mark to 8-7 with Thursday’s win.

“We spread out our runs and didn’t break through in any one inning, but we put pressure on [Bruton] the whole time,” he said.

Part of that pressure entailed leaving the bases loaded in the first inning before jumping on top in the second. A throwing error on a ball stroked back toward the mound by Blake Frye, the eventual winning pitcher, led to the hosts’ initial run. Courtesy runner Cameron Downer then stole third and scored on Jacob Stout’s grounder.

Bruton tied the game in the third, but the hosts broke the deadlock in the bottom of the frame after Christian Hamby doubled to the gap in right-center. Hamby later scored on Shawn Cousins’ single to left.

Mitchell Metheny handed New Kent some breathing room with a solo homer to lead off the Trojan fifth. Steven Carpenter’s triple then tacked on the final run, scoring Stout (walk) in the sixth.

Frye, meanwhile, pitched a complete game, surrendering just six hits while striking out six and walking only one.

“It was another great outing from Blake,” Kuper said. “We’ve got a lot of big games coming up and to get seven [innings] from Blake helps our pitching staff. He controlled the game, and to walk just one is great.”