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The Westmont Hilltop High School baseball team followed a familiar script in a 14-3 victory over Bishop McCort Catholic Wednesday at Sargent’s Stadium.
Hilltoppers senior right-hander Brady Gartner provided six strong innings on the mound, allowing no earned runs in a mercy-rule shortened contest.
No. 2 hitter Bryce Goodman displayed power while collecting three hits, including a towering, three-run homer over the left-field screen.
Westmont Hilltop tallied four runs with two outs, and the Hilltoppers capitalized on six Crimson Crushers errors.
“It’s kind of been that way for us this year,” Westmont Hilltop coach Chris DelSignore said. “We’ve been fortunate to have some good outings from our starters.
“For the most part, we’ve been playing good defense behind them. We’ve been getting timely hitting all year.
“That’s been the formula for us and today was no different.”
Westmont Hilltop opened 5-1 for the first time since DelSignore’s first season as head coach in 2023. That 11-win campaign laid a foundation for a program that had struggled.
“Our chemistry is great. We’re doing well. We’re hitting the ball and putting it in play,” said Goodman, a junior first baseman who went 3-for-5 and scored twice.
“We have really high hopes for this team.
“We’re hoping to get a district championship this year. We want to just keep going and keep winning.”
Bishop McCort Catholic (2-4) gave up at least one run in all six innings – allowing two or more runs in four different frames.
“Give them credit,” Bishop McCort coach Chris Pfeil said of the Hilltoppers. “They put the bat on the ball. They got some clutch hits with guys on base.
“But we gave them a ton of opportunities,” he said.
“We made six errors and let two foul balls drop in play. That’s just not going to win baseball games.”
Westmont Hilltop senior leadoff hitter Sully Weir went 2-for-2 with three walks and scored four runs.
Anthony Oakley had one hit and reached base three times.
The senior scored once and drove in three runs.
“This is a really a good group of kids that work hard,” said DelSignore, whose team had 10 hits Wednesday. “They’re having fun playing baseball.
“I can’t say enough about the amount of work they put in. I’m very appreciative of how they all respond with great attitudes.”
The offense complemented Gartner’s mound work. He struck out six and walked one, while allowing four hits.
“He was able to work ahead,” DelSignore said. “That was one of our focuses that we wanted to see heading into this week. Last week as a staff, we were working behind some hitters in games.
“We really wanted to make a focus of going out there, trying to stay ahead of hitters, and being able to have our full arsenal of pitches,” the coach added.
“We wanted to keep them out of fastball counts.”
Westmont Hilltop scored a pair in the first inning and added one run in the second. A three-run third and one more in the fourth gave the visitors a 7-0 lead.
Bishop McCort scored a pair of runs after a walk and two errors, all with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.
Goodman’s three-run homer in the fifth returned the momentum to Westmont Hilltop.
“I shook that last at-bat. I was a little mad,” said Goodman, who struck out swinging in the third inning. “I was looking for a first-pitch fastball. (There was) a pitching change. He was just trying to throw for a strike.
“I got my pitch and was able to capitalize on it.”
The Crimson Crushers scored an unearned run in the fifth, and Westmont Hilltop added four insurance runs in the sixth.
“This is when you rely on your seniors to pull people together,” Pfeil said. “2-4 is unfamiliar territory for us. But we have a lot of guys in that clubhouse that this coaching staff believes in, and they’ll pull it together. We’ll get better.”
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
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Hilltoppers senior right-hander Brady Gartner provided six strong innings on the mound, allowing no earned runs in a mercy-rule shortened contest.
No. 2 hitter Bryce Goodman displayed power while collecting three hits, including a towering, three-run homer over the left-field screen.
Westmont Hilltop tallied four runs with two outs, and the Hilltoppers capitalized on six Crimson Crushers errors.
“It’s kind of been that way for us this year,” Westmont Hilltop coach Chris DelSignore said. “We’ve been fortunate to have some good outings from our starters.
“For the most part, we’ve been playing good defense behind them. We’ve been getting timely hitting all year.
“That’s been the formula for us and today was no different.”
Westmont Hilltop opened 5-1 for the first time since DelSignore’s first season as head coach in 2023. That 11-win campaign laid a foundation for a program that had struggled.
“Our chemistry is great. We’re doing well. We’re hitting the ball and putting it in play,” said Goodman, a junior first baseman who went 3-for-5 and scored twice.
“We have really high hopes for this team.
“We’re hoping to get a district championship this year. We want to just keep going and keep winning.”
Bishop McCort Catholic (2-4) gave up at least one run in all six innings – allowing two or more runs in four different frames.
“Give them credit,” Bishop McCort coach Chris Pfeil said of the Hilltoppers. “They put the bat on the ball. They got some clutch hits with guys on base.
“But we gave them a ton of opportunities,” he said.
“We made six errors and let two foul balls drop in play. That’s just not going to win baseball games.”
Westmont Hilltop senior leadoff hitter Sully Weir went 2-for-2 with three walks and scored four runs.
Anthony Oakley had one hit and reached base three times.
The senior scored once and drove in three runs.
“This is a really a good group of kids that work hard,” said DelSignore, whose team had 10 hits Wednesday. “They’re having fun playing baseball.
“I can’t say enough about the amount of work they put in. I’m very appreciative of how they all respond with great attitudes.”
The offense complemented Gartner’s mound work. He struck out six and walked one, while allowing four hits.
“He was able to work ahead,” DelSignore said. “That was one of our focuses that we wanted to see heading into this week. Last week as a staff, we were working behind some hitters in games.
“We really wanted to make a focus of going out there, trying to stay ahead of hitters, and being able to have our full arsenal of pitches,” the coach added.
“We wanted to keep them out of fastball counts.”
Westmont Hilltop scored a pair in the first inning and added one run in the second. A three-run third and one more in the fourth gave the visitors a 7-0 lead.
Bishop McCort scored a pair of runs after a walk and two errors, all with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.
Goodman’s three-run homer in the fifth returned the momentum to Westmont Hilltop.
“I shook that last at-bat. I was a little mad,” said Goodman, who struck out swinging in the third inning. “I was looking for a first-pitch fastball. (There was) a pitching change. He was just trying to throw for a strike.
“I got my pitch and was able to capitalize on it.”
The Crimson Crushers scored an unearned run in the fifth, and Westmont Hilltop added four insurance runs in the sixth.
“This is when you rely on your seniors to pull people together,” Pfeil said. “2-4 is unfamiliar territory for us. But we have a lot of guys in that clubhouse that this coaching staff believes in, and they’ll pull it together. We’ll get better.”
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
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