Hough Surges Late Past Rocky Mountain

CARY, N.C.— It took Hough High (Cornelius, N.C) some time to find its offensive bearings, but the Huskies kicked into gear just in time.

Carter Williams hit the tie-breaking RBI single to start a five-run seventh inning, and the Huskies picked up a 7-2 win over Rocky Mountain High (Fort Collins, Colo.) on Thursday at the National High School Invitational.

Williams’ bases-loaded single to the left side snapped a 2-2 tie and jump-started Hough’s seventh-inning surge. North Carolina State signee Hunter Baker followed with a two-run single and Clemson commit JD Brock added an RBI triple as the Huskies batted around.

“I was proud of our competitiveness there at the end,” Hough coach Jimmy Cochran said. “I was a little disappointed in our ABs throughout the first part of the game. We were a little timid offensively and pitch selection was an issue. Fortunately we had Carter, who’s kind of got that clutch gene for us.”

Williams finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Brock finished a home run shy of the cycle, and Jack Marcello went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

“All game I felt like we were comfortable, like we knew we could do it,” said Williams, a Presbyterian commit. “We just trust our hands and trust our approach. Once we get rolling I feel like we’re hard to beat.”

Bailey Dees, a Penn State commit, took a no-decision for the Huskies. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound righthander pitched five innings, allowed six hits and two runs, walked three and struck out six while sitting 85-87 mph with his fastball and 72-74 mph with his curveball.

Rocky Mountain righthander John Sorensen matched Dees with six innings and two runs allowed, but Hough jumped on reliever Austin Maciel in the seventh.

Sorensen also had an RBI single and Spencer Gendreau went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored for the Lobos.

“We were in a good spot today to take advantage of that game,” Sorensen said. “We just didn’t pull through.”

Hough is 1-1 in the NHSI, while Rocky Mountain fell to 0-2.