The Monarchs have played Plaza Heights each spring since the 2008 season, one of the longest-running matchups in our history. Prior to the April 12th DH, Midland had a 13-6 advantage in wins, and was looking forward to a couple more.

 

Midland gave freshman Matthew Gerstner a start on the mound and he breezed through the first three innings, picking up three strikeouts while giving up two singles and a walk. The Monarchs, however knocked around the Plaza Heights starter in each of the first two innings.

 

Charlie Williams led off the game with a triple to deep center, and was immediately sacrificed home by Sam Douglas for the first run of the contest. In the second inning, Midland used three errors and a HBP to Joel Donn to put three runs on the board. Jalen Curtis added a single to bring in another, and the score stood 5-0 after two. Neither team scored in the third, and then...the craziness began.

 

You've all seen the memes about how the cat "forgot to cat"? Well in this instance, the Monarchs forgot how to Monarch. Soft liners dropped in for hits. Guys threw to the wrong base. Fielding errors were made. Balks were called and overthrows abounded. By the time the inning was mercifully over, Plaza Heights had picked up ELEVEN hits and nine runs, six of them unearned. And that fine-looking five run lead had turned into a four run deficet with only six outs left for Midland to catch up.

 

There may have been some gloom in the dugout, but the offense wasn't ready to fold it in quite yet. Harrison Carrender came in as a pinch hitter, and led off the bottom of the 4th with a walk, then stole second. Charlie singled, and Sam walked to load the bases. WIth two outs on the board, Peyton Shellenberger waited out a full-count walk for a run, and Josh Winscott only needed four pitches to get himself an RBI on another walk. The boys had cut the gap in half, and trailed 9-7 going into the fifth and final inning.

 

Things got a little dicey in the top of the fifth as Plaza Heights grabbed back one of those runs on a lead-off walk from reliever Mick Kelley. But he held it together, added two strikeouts, and turned it back over to the Monarch offense for the final inning.

 

As luck would have it, Mick was leading off, and picked up his first hit of the game with a well-placed double down the line in left. An error at second at second put Harrison on, followed by a seven-pitch free pass to Joel to load the bases with no outs.

A fly to left brought in Mick, giving Charlie an RBI. Plaza Heights immediately loaded the bases back up again with a walk to Sam, bringing Jalen to the plate. He aleady had one RBI with a second inning single, and added two more here with a double to almost the same spot Mick had chosen five batters earlier. 

 

With the winning run at third, the Plaza Heights pitcher couldn't concentrate, and walked Peyton on four pitches to load the bases for the third time during the inning. Josh waited one pitch, then sent a hard grounder through the legs of the second baseman for what turned out to be a game-winning error and an 11-10 victory for Midland. Hey, we'll take it!

 

NOTES: Peyton had two walks and an HBP in his four plate appearances... Plaza Heights outhit Midland 14 to 6... Charlie and Jalen had multi-hit games... The only inning in which the Monarchs did not score was the third... Mick got the win in relief...