CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Montgomery Central High School baseball team hosted the Fairview Yellow Jackets for a District 5-3A matchup on Tuesday. Indians Left-handed pitcher Kaleb Cilk led his team to victory with his 11-strikeout complete game shutout, and Central’s offense scratched across five runs to earn a 5-0 win.
The Indian’s defense was sound from the start, with Cilk only allowing three hits on the night and as his infield continued to back him up too. Fairview only reached third base once in the game.
Longtime Indians head coach Todd Dunn said that the team’s pitching and defense have taken a step forward in the last few contests. “Kaleb dominated the game,” Dunn told Clarksville Now. “Our pitching has been fantastic lately; we’ve had four complete games. We have great relief as well, but we haven’t needed it. The last two weeks, we’ve played good baseball, the baseball I know they can play.”
Outside of a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning from catcher Dylan Fulton, Montgomery Central’s offense was nothing flashy, but they consistently were able to get runners on base and not strand runners in scoring position. Brake Blackwell led the Indians with two hits on the night, including a double.
“To be honest, we’ve struggled hitting,” said Dunn. “Earlier in the year, we were having a lot of strikeouts, but now we’re putting the ball in play more and giving ourselves a chance. We’re starting to swing it better at a good time.”
The Indians earned their second district win of the year, putting them in second place in their district as of today. For Dunn and his squad, it’s all about continuing to get better, and playing their best ball when it comes postseason time.
“It’s all mental at the end of the day, and we’ve been much better about keeping ourselves up,” said Dunn. “You’ve seen the result on the field offensively and defensively, and we just have to continue to get mentally stronger.”
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