MONROE — It wasn’t exactly a must-win game for the Monroe baseball team on Friday.
But the Bearcats’ latest victory sure makes next week less stressful.
Monroe guaranteed its season will continue past the end of the regular season, which concludes Tuesday, with a 10-0 victory over Kamiak at Marshall Field. The win clinched the final district berth out of Wesco 4A for the Bearcats — and eliminated Kamiak from postseason contention.
“We knew what was at stake and the kids understood where we were at and our position,” Monroe coach Eric Chartrand said. “We needed to get one and we got one. It’s always nice to control your own destiny. Plus, it allows you to get your pitching set for the playoffs.”
Two days after topping Kamiak 2-0, Monroe (5-7 league, 8-10 overall) came into Friday’s game with a chance to clinch a district berth. Had the Bearcats lost, they still could have made the postseason depending on how the final two games of the regular season went next week.
Kamiak (3-9, 6-12), however, needed a win to keep its playoff chances alive.
“Their pitchers throw strikes, they played solid defense and they took advantage,” Knights coach Frank Nickerson said. “They smelled blood in the water.”
Monroe’s Blake Bingham beat out a throw for an infield single to drive in the Bearcats’ first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Bingham’s hit came in a streak of three consecutive singles for Monroe that scored two runs to put the Bearcats up 2-0.
After scoring another run in the third, Monroe blew the game open with another hit parade in a five-run fifth inning to all but put the game away. Pinch-hitter Ramon Henriquez hit the game-clinching RBI single in the sixth inning to give Monroe a 10-0 lead and end the game in accordance with the 10-run rule.
Chartrand said the high run total, which is tied for the second-most runs the Bearcats have scored all season, was a nice sign for Monroe as it prepares for the playoffs.
“We’ve got some really good pitching, we’ve just got to be able to hit the baseball,” Chartrand said. “We catch it great and pitch it great. We’ve just got to hit.
“You start seeing some balls drop and it feels like you can get something accomplished. It’s been a struggle. Our guys on the mound have done such a great job all year. Our three starters have been fantastic — (Chase) Carpenter, (Jared) Cogar and (Chance) Lau. I think in our last six outings we’ve thrown four shutouts.”
It was Lau’s turn on the mound Friday. The senior blanked Kamiak in a six-inning complete game. He tossed the fifth shutout of the season for Monroe, which is allowing a league-low 2.4 runs per game.
“It’s something crazy,” Chartrand said of the Monroe pitching staff’s streak. “It’s the best in the league. Those guys give us a chance to win every time we’re out there. They’ve been pretty special.”
Monroe junior Justin Folz led the Bearcats’ offense, going 2-for-4 with four RBI. Derek Knox (2-for-3) added an RBI and a run scored.
“Justin’s an excellent baseball player and he’s going to be playing this for a little longer than just high school,” Chartrand said. “We rely on him and put him in the three hole for that reason and he produced today.”
Now that his team is playoff-bound, Chartrand said he hopes Monroe’s luck in close games drastically changes. The Bearcats are 1-7 in games decided by just one run and, with a strong and balanced Wesco 4A, Chartrand said he expects the district games to be tight.
“This is a really good baseball team that hasn’t caught breaks yet,” Chartrand said. “We start to hit and we’re going to be all right. … Seven one-run games is a lot of one-run games to lose. We’ve had the breaks not go our way the first half of the season. The team is not giving up. They’re trying to fight.”
Kamiak junior Wayson Vannatta led the Knights, going 2-for-2 at the plate and making a few big defensive plays at third base. Vannatta is one of 12 juniors who will return for Kamiak next season.
“There will be a number of juniors back with experience,” Nickerson said. “… There’s a lot of teams (in Wesco 4A) that are well-balanced. When we play well, we’re right in there, but we have to play perfect. All the teams are pretty evenly matched.”
Chartrand said he expects Kamiak to be back in the playoff mix next season.
“Frank does a great job with that team and they work really hard,” he said. “It just wasn’t their day today. We had a lot of (little) hits that were hitting holes and it snowballs on you really quick.”
At Marshall Field
WP: Chance Lau. LP: Connor Alexander. Individual highlights: Kamiak—Wayson Vannatta (2-2); Monroe—Justin Folz (2-4, 4 RBI), Derek Knox (2-3, RBI). Records: Kamiak 3-9 league, 6-12 overall. Monroe 5-7, 8-10
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
