Stories

Monticello baseball walks it off against Goochland

Photo: Bart Isley

As far as season openers go, Monticello could not really have asked for much more. In a back-and-forth affair that saw visiting Goochland take a 1-run lead in the seventh off a bases loaded walk, the Mustangs answered in kind with a 2-run walk off single from Tommy Carter to edge the Bulldogs 5-4 in dramatic fashion.

 

“We were able to piece something together at the end and stay in the fight against a really good ball club with a good pitching staff that’s going to make some noise in Central Virginia,” said Monticello coach Corey Hunt. “The game of baseball is pretty simple in that you’re not going to succeed every time at the plate or anywhere, but it’s about what you do next. The next guys stepping up to pick up the guy ahead of them. You can see with this crew that they’re now veterans and that they won’t give up and quit.”

 

The Bulldogs got off to an early start with an RBI double from Tanner Bradshaw in the top of the first. Then in the second Zach Gentry single and eventually was plated after a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

 

Monticello’s offense took to life in the third after three straight walks and Jake Byrnes came up with a bases clearing double to make it 3-2.

 

The next lead exchange came in the top of the fifth with Jeb Anderson coming up with an RBI triple and then Wyatt Murray delivering an RBI double two batters later to put Goochland ahead 4-3.

 

Then in the bottom of the fifth Kevin Jarred earned a walked, reached third on a passed ball and then a wild pitch, and was driven in on an RBI ground out from Carter to lock things up at 4-4.

 

The Bulldogs loaded the bases on an infield single and and two walks in the top of the seventh. A third walk brought in the go ahead run, but Monticello worked around the rest of the jam without further damage.

 

“I thought both teams played a good game and neither got rattled when the other scored a few runs,” said Goochland coach Wes Farkas. “I felt like we were resilient getting up early, then going down and then going back up again. It was fun game and for this point in the season it’s a good sign that we’re going to battle. We just needed to make a few more plays, we just couldn’t let Monticello have a little extra life at the end there.”

 

When Josh Critzer reached on a strikeout in the dirt, the Mustangs tried to bunt him into scoring position but were unable to do so. And with two outs, were it not for Jarrell hustling out a ground ball to force an error the Bulldogs would have wrapped up a win. Instead Jarrell reached safely and put two runners in scoring position to allow Carter to finish the job.

 

“I just tried to hit it the opposite way,” Carter said. “Coach Hunt teaches us everyday about getting our hands inside of the ball and hitting to the opposite field.”

 

For Monticello Carter was 1-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored, and also threw 6 and two thirds innings. Jarrell managed to reach base three times in four at bats without a hit and scored three runs. Byrnes was 1-for-3 with three RBI.
John King was 2-for-4 for Goochland with a run scored and a stolen base. Bradshaw finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Comments

comments