It took two innings of offense and an outstanding night from Tommy Carter and Kevin Jarrell to get the job done for Monticello against Western Albemarle. In just three days the Mustangs faced two of the best pitchers in the Jefferson District. Things didn’t fall Monticello’s way against Louisa County and its ace in John Reynolds Tuesday. It was a different story Thursday. Again facing a top-tier arm in Derek Domecq, the Mustangs got a 2-out rally in the first inning and then four straight runs batted in in the fourth to pave the way for a 6-1 win at home to top the Warriors.
“Absolute team effort tonight from the top to the bottom of the lineup and defensively — we beat a very good ball club tonight and a very good pitcher tonight,” said Monticello coach Corey Hunt. “Just being able to come through in the clutch with two outs was just huge. It set the tone, gave us momentum. We didn’t do it all night, and we didn’t do it on Tuesday (against Louisa) and that’s the beauty of the game is that you always get another chance. I’m glad we did enough of that tonight.”
Monticello never trailed thanks to its timely hitting in the bottom of the first. After Ben Reilly delivered an RBI triple with two outs, Bryce McGlothlin came through with an RBI single in the next at-bat to make it 2-0.
The Warriors answered in the top of the second with Chris McGahren leading off with a double and then Luke Tenuta coming up with an RBI single two batters later. Between the second and third, Domecq looked his usual self, as he struck out four and sat down six straight batters.
In the bottom of the fourth though, Monticello was able to deliver the knockout blow. It started with McGlothlin leading off with a double. After Carter reached base on a strikeout, Carter Lee made it 3-1 with a squeeze bunt, the first of four straight runs batted in.
“We try and put guys into position to be successful and when they execute, it’s so much fun to watch,” Hunt said. “We execute that play in practice and we work on it. ‘Goose’ can handle the bat and so he executed there and we were okay from there.”
Jake Byrnes followed with an RBI single, then Tristan Winn delivered an RBI triple hit to right field. Reid Huffman’s RBI double in the next at bat gave the Mustangs a 6-1 lead and more than enough for it’s pitching and defense to finish the job.
“Coach Hunt really prepared us for this in practice yesterday,” McGlothlin said. “After that, our mindset was great. We had a good approach at the plate, we jumped on them as soon as we could. We were fortunate to get out here, use what we had prepared for and just execute well. It was awesome.”
The Warriors had their chances against Carter, but with nine stranded base runners, couldn’t get the big rally they needed before Jarrell came in. Carter finished with five innings pitched and just one earned run. Jarrell came in during the 6th and got out of a jam with two runners in scoring position. The sophomore reliever sat down all six batters he faced including striking out the side in the seventh to pick up four K’s on the night to preserve the win.
“Kevin’s a competitor that wants the ball at the end of the game so we’re giving it to him,” Hunt said. “He got some big out but the guys behind him played great too. The ball always seems to find the new guy, and so again, top to bottom, it was a total team team effort.”
For Western, Jack Masloff was solid in relief for Domecq. Masloff came in during the fourth and allowed just one base runner while striking out five batters. At the plate, McGahren led Western going 2-for-3.
Monticello was led by McGlothlin who went 2-for-2. Reilly finished 2-for-3. Huffman was 2-for-4.
The Warriors (6-6, 3-4) step out of the JD to face Fort Defiance on Saturday. The Mustangs (7-5, 5-1) host for the fifth straight game against Charlottesville. As such, it will be their second to last home game of the year as six of their next seven games will be on the road.
