MONROE — Monroe junior pitcher AJ Welch roared at his dugout in satisfaction after retiring his third hitter of the third inning. With his team up 3-0 and in position to make it hurt against the visiting Kamiak baseball team, it was clear the Bearcats had gotten their swagger back.
Monroe would go on to win 10-0 in five innings, leveling their young record at 1-1. Coming off a tough 4-2 loss to Archbishop Murphy on Wednesday, Welch believes the dominant showing was just what the doctor ordered for the team.
“Our focus was way different (today)… it was a sour taste after the loss, so everyone was super focused. Everybody was hungry for a win, and it paid off,” Welch said. “Today was a great step.”
Welch, a 2024 first-team All-Wesco pitcher, stayed on the mound for the whole outing. He would finish with eight strikeouts to just one hit allowed, earning every bit of his first season win. Welch also went 2-2 from the plate, scoring a run. The rest of the Bearcats offense seemed to find their groove as well, as the lineup went 8-for-16 and drew five walks.
Sophomore Gavin Prescott scored three times while earning two walks, and junior Caleb Campbell led the team with three RBI in two at-bats. Sophomore Joe Enrico went 3-3, hauling two RBI while scoring twice himself.
The top-to-bottom batting excellence was a far cry from the 2-for-21 day the Bearcats lineup dealt with against Archbishop Murphy just two days prior. First-year head coach Aaron Barstad pointed to the amount of change his players endured in the offseason for the opening day loss.
“Wednesday was our first game — new head coach, new coaching staff, trying to figure out their identity,” Barstad said. “We talked about just going out and controlling the things we can control and just competing.”
For Kamiak, the loss came on the heels of a 9-1 opening win over Snohomish on Wednesday — evening the Knights at 1-1. The Knights were able to draw a walk on Welch’s first sequence of pitches, and thanks to some savvy base-stealing from senior Elijah Bovey, Kamiak was in scoring position early on.
Unfortunately for a stranded Bovey and Co., the Bearcats shut off the well with sound fielding to secure a groundout and a pop-out. The Knights would go 1-for-16 overall, never getting another similar scoring opportunity.
From there, the Bearcats started to count up runs quickly, thanks to a mentality shift, according to Campbell.
“We’re kind of just small-ball… Bunts, getting guys over, getting guys across. We’re not flashy, we don’t hit long balls, but we score runs and that’s what we’re going to do.”
With 2024 league coach of the year Ben Andrews stepping away from Monroe, it can be easy to overlook the pieces the Bearcats lost on the field. League MVP Harlan Rowe graduated, as did infield and outfield stars like Ryan Miller and Luke McCollough.
Underclassmen like Prescott and Enrico didn’t seem to shy from the moment, and that’s where Welch sees the value in his squad.
“I know that we’re going to compete in every facet of the game, every pitch we’re going to compete,” Welch said. “I think confidence is going to take us a long way.”
The Bearcats will have a chance to follow up their maiden win next Wednesday night when they take on Woodinville. Kamiak will look to shake off the loss in a Monday afternoon matchup against Everett.
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