Harrison Bishop enjoyed another outstanding home-opening performance for the Montgomery County baseball team on March 30.

First, the senior first baseman hit his first home run of his high school baseball career. Then, he helped the Wildcats pull off a 10-0 win over Mark Twain in five innings in their 2023 home opener.

“It was fun,” Bishop said. “I love home games.”

Bishop helped the Wildcats improve to 3-0, their best start since 2019, when they won their first six games en route to a 17-10 record and a fourth-place finish in the Class 3 state tournament. They also improved to 2-0 in Eastern Missouri Conference play.

MCHS won its first two games of the 2023 season on the road, beating Duchesne 11-4 on March 20 and Silex 6-1 on March 27. Bishop said he has high hopes for his team, which finished 10-8 last year but lost two all-state performers in Evan Abercrombie and Ethan Rakers to graduation.

“Obviously, we lost two good seniors last year in Evan and Ethan, our pitcher-catcher duo,” Bishop said. “We may not have the star power of last year, but we have a lot of depth on this team and a lot of new freshmen coming up. I’m excited. I think we can do a lot.”

The Wildcats scored six runs in the first, one in the second and three in the third to win their home opener for the sixth consecutive season.

“We hit the ball really well tonight,” MCHS senior shortstop Travis Hill said. “We just have to keep going. If we keep putting the ball in play, good things will happen.”

The Wildcats are looking to finish with another strong season in conference play. Last year, MCHS was 8-2 in league games.

“It’s pretty good that we started 2-0 in conference play,” MCHS junior left fielder Jace Ellis said.

Sophomore Tatum Wessel, freshman Edwin Garcia and junior Dayton Simmons combined for the one-hit shutout on the mound. The three pitchers struck out 12 batters. Six of those strikeouts came from Wessel, who was the winning pitcher.

The Wildcats' next EMO game will be on April 11 against Bowling Green, which will also be at home.

Bishop is playing in his third and final season with the MCHS baseball team. When he was a sophomore, he helped the Wildcats knock off Pacific 1-0 in 11 innings in their home opener by delivering a one-out, RBI single. In last year’s home opener against Silex, he helped Abercrombie toss a 6-0, no-hit victory by catching a foul ball for the final out of the game.

With two outs in the bottom of the first against Mark Twain, Bishop hit a two-run homer over the left-field wall on the first pitch from Brayden Moss. Junior Dayton Simmons, who was hit by a pitch and stole second base, scored on the home run.

“Last year, I had a few good longballs that were doubles,” Bishop said. “Here (against Mark Twain), I loved that I could do it for the fans here and for myself. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole game. I finally did it. It was a fun day.”

Bishop also made a big defensive play in the top of the third, when he dove for a grounder that was a hit by Moss, then tossed it to freshman pitcher Edwin Garcia to get the out.

“Once I saw it, I didn’t think I would get to it at first,” Bishop said. “But I kind of belly flopped down there, stuck my glove out and got it done.”

Bishop, who was named to the all-district team last spring, said he was looking forward to playing in the first home game of the 2023 season. The Wildcats were originally scheduled to start their home season on March 24 against Russellville, but it was called off due to rain.

“I love our field,” Bishop said. “It looks good today. Finally, it was a great day. I’m always excited for the first home game.”