Prairie Ridge grad Nick Martini goes deep twice for Reds on MLB’s opening day

Prairie Ridge graduate Nick Martini apparently enjoys being a part of a major league team on opening day.

The Cincinnati Red designated hitter, playing on his first opening day in five major league seasons, ripped a pair of homers off Washington starter Josiah Gray, driving in five runs, as the Red won 8-2 at Great American Ball Park.

“I know it’s only one game, but it feels good in front of that many fans and the city,” said Martini, the first Reds player to hit two homers on opening day since Adam Dunn in 2007. “I kind of felt it, especially after the second one. I kind of just felt how loud it got. It was just awesome.”

Martini, 33, is playing in the majors with his fourth team. He homered with one runner on in the second, then blasted his second shot, a three-run homer, in the third.

Martini graduated from Prairie Ridge in 2008 and was a star on the Wolves’ Class 4A state championship team that season. He played three seasons at Kansas State, then was drafted by St. Louis in the seventh round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Martini, who bats and throws left, made it to the majors with Oakland in 2018 and 2019. He played briefly with San Diego at the end of the 2019 season and then was with the Cubs in 2021.

Martini played in Korea for the 2022 season and made it back to the majors last season with the Reds. It was Martini’s second two-homer game, along with his performance against Arizona on Aug. 25 last season when he hit two homers and knocked in four runs.

• The Associated Press contributed to this report.