The distance to the center field fence at Hidden Valley’s Titan Field is estimated to be 360 feet.
Tuesday afternoon it was confirmed Titan catcher Matt Uttermark can hit a baseball 361.
Engaged in a 3-3 tie with talented River Ridge foe Christiansburg in the bottom of the third, Uttermark launched a towering shot to the deepest part of the park, barely clearing the top rail for a 2-run homer that became the eventual game winner.
“I was trying to find a pitch to hit,” Uttermark said after the win. “I got it.”
“We were fortunate today,” Titan head coach Jason Taylor noted. “Christiansburg is a very good team. We managed to beat them 3-1 in the first meeting this year. Matt got the big hit when it counted. He’d caught every game for us this season and we rested him a little in our last game because he had struggled at the plate. I think it helped. He came through at a key time. He’s just a sophomore and we’re expecting big things from him.”
Hidden Valley had jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second after Nate Atkins and Hunter Boone were both hit by pitches to set the table for the Titans. Sean O’Connell singled to left to plate the first Hidden Valley run and Palmer Peery followed with a double off the left field fence to score Boone and O’Connell.
Christiansburg came right back in the top of the third. Bryce Quinn singled and Ryan Saunders reached to open the frame. After Hidden Valley lefty starter Luke Marston got the next two batters, Gabe Quesenbery was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Andrew Dunn then cleared the bases with a double to deep left, tying the game at 3-3.
Dunn, the Blue Demon starter on the hill, kept Hidden Valley off balance most of the game with off-speed deliveries and an effective curve. He hit Titan Ben Schmidt in the bottom of the third before giving up the decisive blast by Uttermark. Dunn went the distance in taking the loss.
Christiansburg wasted a great chance in the sixth when Andrew McFee opened with a shot into the right-center gap. But, McFee was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double, which became crucial when Clay Viar and Quinn singled. The Blue Demons had the tying runners at second and third before Marston fanned the final two batters
Marston picked up the win for Hidden Valley striking out 11, while Taylor Martin picked up the save after coaxing three straight grounders in a 1-2-3 seventh.
“It’s a game of inches,” Christiansburg head coach Allen Childress observed afterward. “We played good baseball, but little things got us.”
Hidden Valley improved to 12-1-1. Christiansburg fell to 8-8.
Bill Turner
