MONROE — Harlan Rowe gave the Monroe High School baseball team a walk-off moment in extra innings in the Bearcats’ regular season finale.
Rowe helped Monroe dig out of a three-run deficit, supplying the go-ahead RBI-double in the bottom of the eighth as the Bearcats pulled out a 4-3 win over the Arlington Eagles on Friday night.
Monroe (16-4 overall, 13-1 league) clinched the Wesco North title Wednesday in a 15-2 rout over the Eagles (10-10, 9-5) in the first segment of their two-game series. Friday’s victory, which added to the positive feelings, was Monroe’s 15th in their past 16 games.
“Oh man. … It’s electric,” Rowe said of his game-winning line-drive to center field. “I think the biggest thing for me this season was getting to play with all of these same guys that I grew up playing with. … To finally put together this senior season with everyone, its been quite special.”
Rowe also started on the mound and fanned seven batters, going five full innings while allowing four hits with two walks and one earned run. He went 2-for-4 at the plate, drawing one walk.
“I think there’s a reason in my mind why I think he’ll probably be the player of the year for this conference,” Second-year Bearcats coach Ben Andrews said. “He does it two ways. It’s a testament to the type of guy he is and the type of leader he is.”
After Eagles junior Billy Kooy popped off a two-RBI double to put Arlington ahead 3-0 in the top of the third, Rowe responded by striking out the side in the fourth before handing the ball to AJ Welch to finish the job.
After getting trounced by Monroe on Wednesday, the Eagles turned around and blanked the Bearcats through four innings before Monroe came alive late. Arlington sophomore righty Cyrus Bradley pitched the four scoreless frames, striking out three with no walks, allowing four hits.
“It was for sure a grind,” Rowe said. “They’re always going to come back and compete. Arlington puts together a competitive team every year, I got respect for them always. … We didn’t have our best stuff in the field today, but we came up when it mattered and we played right to the very end.”
With the Class 3A District 1 playoffs set to begin next week, Monroe goes into the postseason with high hopes. Especially after the Bearcats cemented their first state tournament win since 1977 in an opening round win over Silas last spring. Their league championship is the school’s first in at least 15 years.
“It was good to have the last one like this, going into the playoffs when you know all the games will be just like this,” Andrews said. “We have really good pitching, our bats are coming alive and we’re scoring a lot of runs. I think we’re ready and looking to go into the playoffs hot right now.”
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