Middletown baseball rolls over Walkersville
Apr. 10—WALKERSVILLE — As Joey Nicholson showed with his diving catch near the right field line Monday, dropping a ball in on the Middletown High baseball outfield is no easy feat.
In Nicholson, senior Cam Baker and sophomore Ty Lawson, the Knights have three very capable outfielders who are all big and fast.
"Any one of those guys could be center fielders, to be honest with you," Middletown coach Andy Baker said following a 13-3 victory at Walkersville that was stopped after five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Nicholson and Cam Baker split time in center for the Knights last season before Nicholson was moved to right field because he has the strongest arm on the team and is ideally suited to fire long throws home or into third base.
"A lot of long toss, plyo balls, bands," Nicholson said when asked how he got his arm so strong. "I just wanted to get my arm strong because I wanted to pitch a lot. It's translated to the outfield really well."
Baker, the quarterback of Middletown's football team, is a late bloomer in baseball, according to his coach. But his speed and his ability to track fly balls are assets in center.
And Lawson is the youngest player on the team, but he has been a nice addition in left. On Monday, he snagged a hot line drive off the bat of Walkersville's Peyton Isemann.
"We are all fast and cover a lot of ground," Nicholson said of his outfield mates. "So, we are are able to fill gaps and get on balls down the line. We all have strong arms as well."
While the outfield defense has been a strong suit for Middletown (7-2) through this early part of the season, it was the offense that propelled the Knights past Walkersville.
Baker opened the game by punching the very first pitch down the right field line for a double, kicking off a six-run first inning for Middletown.
The Knights scored again in the second inning on an RBI single to center by Nicholson before adding three runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings.
They finished with 13 hits and benefitted from numerous Walkersville defensive miscues along the way.
Nicholson and junior catcher Andrew Raymond, the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters, respectively, led the way as each had three hits and three RBIs.
"Today was a stepping stone for [Joey]," Andy Baker said. "He is becoming more aggressive at the plate. He's been a little passive at the plate, and we are trying to get him to be more aggressive. He is a big, strong kid that works hard and loves the game. He's very passionate and plays all of time. He can hit the ball a long way."
After the disastrous first inning, Walkersville (3-6) played much better.
Center fielder Julian Coley, the No. 8 hitter, doubled in the third inning to drive in a run for the Lions. They also scored when Isemann was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and on an errant Middletown throw to second on a steal attempt.
"One bad inning, really," Walkersville coach Shane Boyd said. "A few misplays. Other than that, we scored in three consecutive innings there. We tried to come back. It was just one bad inning kind of bit us."
Follow Greg Swatek on Twitter: @greg_swatek
