While Thursday was a remarkable day for the Linden 12U all-star team, it was a particularly special day for catcher Weldon Aydelott.

The Linden backstop hit a home run in each of his final two at-bats against the all-star team from the Bahamas. In the second game of the day, Aydelott left the yard in all three of his at-bats against the best from Mara, N.C., giving him a home run in five consecutive plate appearances in the same day.

“It was pretty cool,” teammate Landon Houlditch said of the feat. “I made a deal that if he hit his third home run in that second game, I’d pay him $2. And he did it.”

While Houlditch was $2 lighter because of Aydelott’s accomplishment, Linden was eight runs better as the catcher accounted for two-thirds of his team’s total scoring output.

“Emotionally, he was our offense,” Linden head coach Tim Collins said.

Collins readily admitted Aydelott’s performance in the second game took him by surprise.

“Weldon had hit two home runs,” Collins said. “And on his third at-bat, I called him down and told him, ‘They are not going to pitch to you. Just sit back and, if they make a mistake, you drive it.’ Rounding third, he high-fived me and said, ‘They made a mistake.’ I thought that was pretty funny.”

For Aydelott, the day nearly equalled his summer home run total. He touched them all three times during Linden’s run through the state tournament. Aydelott homered twice during the District 10 tournament and only once during the regular season.

Very quiet about his memorable day, Aydelott could only point to one difference between his early summer returns and his monstrous first day in regionals.

“I went to the doctor,” he said. “I’ve got Staph in my left arm.”

Aydelott struggled with a Staph infection for much of the summer before getting treated for the ailment last week. For Linden, Aydelott’s visit to the physician proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered.

“Home runs in five straight at-bats in regionals is something they’ll probably never see again in their lifetime,” Collins said. “It is something they will always remember and it is a record that may never be broken.”