In a thrilling Friday showdown at Washington Middle, No. 4 Allegany stormed out of the gates and never looked back, securing an 8-3 victory over Fort Hill. The Campers' offense was firing on all cylinders, racking up 12 hits and scoring in five of seven innings to keep the Sentinels on their heels.

"We did the job, Kohen (Madden) was solid on the mound," said Allegany manager Jon Irons. "He really does a lot for us when he pitches that well. If we clean up the defense behind him, he might finish that game on his own."

The Campers (10-6, 5-2 Western Maryland Athletic Conference) set the tone early. In the top of the first, Liam Buck ripped a double to left-center field, bringing home the game's first run. The momentum continued in the fourth when Cole Ricker singled, and Buck added a sacrifice fly. Irons credited a lineup shakeup for sparking the offense: "We feel like we've been scoring runs, but we weren't getting productive at-bats when it mattered. So we mixed things up, and I think the kids liked it."

The fifth inning was a highlight reel for Allegany. Madden and Eston Powell each doubled, while Sebastian Stewart singled to keep the pressure on. Madden finished 3 for 4 with a walk, and Stewart went 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. But the star of the show was freshman Eston Powell, who went a perfect 4 for 4 with two RBIs and two doubles, including a key RBI knock in the sixth. "It's great to see a freshman in the nine-hole go 4 for 4 in a city game like this," Irons said. "He saw the ball well, had a great approach, and once he got confident, he just kept rolling. That's exactly what we need throughout our lineup."

Fort Hill (9-8-1, 4-4 WestMAC) struggled to find their rhythm early. They finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on a passed ball, but it was too little, too late. The Sentinels mounted a late rally in the seventh, with Coye Resh and Carson Bender drawing back-to-back bases-loaded walks to close the gap to 8-3. However, Fort Hill left eight runners stranded, including the bases loaded in the seventh and two on in the sixth—a missed opportunity that frustrated manager Tanner Brode. "I think our approach at the plate was off," Brode said. "Kohen changed up his sequence, and our guys had something in mind that didn't line up with what he was throwing."

On the mound, Madden was a force for Allegany. He struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while giving up three unearned runs. At the plate, he also went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. "His velocity was good today," Irons said. "He attacked when he needed to, and his off-speed stuff looked sharp. He's getting into playoff form."

For the Sentinels, Resh, Bender, Liam Hamilton, and Jake Rice each managed one hit, but it wasn't enough to overcome Allegany's relentless attack. The Campers' fast start and balanced offense proved too much, sealing a decisive win in this heated city rivalry.