Monarch catcher Chase Kilgore makes a tag for an out at the plate Saturday afternoon against DeSales. Pitcher Matt Belt (30) is pictured backing up the play. Marysville fell to the Stallions, 8-4.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Marysville High School head baseball coach Nick Blake was right about one thing when he recently said it’s tough to win games if an opponent scores five runs in one inning.
The Monarchs got away with allowing that to happen Friday evening during a 7-5 victory over Central Crossing.
The script reversed course, however, on Saturday during an 8-4 loss to Columbus DeSales.
Marysville trailed a tight ball game, 3-2, going into the visitors’ portion of the sixth inning on a perfect afternoon for baseball.
The Stallions cut loose with the offense during that frame and pulled away for the victory.
The loss snapped MHS’ winning streak at five games and dropped its overall record to 8-5.
DeSales put its first two runs on the board during the top of the initial inning against Monarch starting pitcher Andrew Van Hoose.
With one down, Owen Faulkner singled, stole second and scored on Michael Pallaci’s double.
A ground ball out sent Pallaci to third and he crossed the plate on a base hit by Gavin Hawk.
Hawk was thrown out trying to steal second base as the inning ended.
The Monarchs (who will play at Dublin Coffman today) couldn’t get much offense going during the first two frames against Stallion starter Andrew Zucker.
DeSales tagged Van Hoose for another run in the third.
Joey Velazquez hit a two-bagger and raced home on a fielder’s choice off Pallaci’s bat.
The Stallions gave Zucker the quick hook as he was replaced going into the bottom of the third by lefty Dominic Verne.
MHS didn’t have much luck against the southpaw in that inning, but plated single runs in the fourth and fifth.
Gabe Schaeffer and Connor Parks reached base on back-to-back fielding miscues to begin the fourth.
Christian Colvin delivered Marysville’s first run with a double.
Verne got the second out on a fly ball and the Monarchs’ inning came to an end when Parks was called out at the plate after a rundown.
The home plate umpire also ruled that Parks caused a collision on the play.
Parks was tossed from the game, despite protests from the Monarch coaching staff.
The Stallions threatened in the top of the fifth.
Aiden Cannon doubled and Velazquez was issued an intentional walk to take a hot bat out of his hands.
Van Hoose notched a strikeout, but yielded a single to Pallaci.
Cannon tried to score on the play, but was tagged out at the plate by MHS catcher Chase Kilgore.
Van Hoose then coaxed a grounder to get out of trouble.
The Monarchs pulled to within 3-2 in the home half of the fifth.
With one down, Blake Storr singled and advanced on a groundball out.
Matt Belt was hit by a pitch and Schaeffer singled in a run.
A fly ball, though, prevented further scoring.
Van Hoose got the first out of the sixth inning on a pop-up, but then issued a trio of walks to juice the sacks.
That prompted Blake to bring Michael Bonczak to the bump.
A groundball out by Cannon scored a run to put DeSales up by a 4-2 count.
Velazquez was again given an intentional free pass to load the bases for an out at any base.
Faulkner, however, drilled a 0-2 pitch for a double that pushed the Stallions out to a 6-2 margin.
Pallaci followed with a single that plated DeSales’ final two runs.
Bonczak ended the inning by inducing a fly ball for an out.
The Monarchs cut the Stallions’ lead to 8-3 in the sixth.
With two out, Bonczak reached base on an error.
A double by Jack Christian put runners at second and third.
Bonczak later scored on a wild pitch.
Jake Carper took the hill in the top of the seventh as MHS’ fourth hurler of the game.
He yielded a single and walked a batter.
A pair of pop-ups and a fly ball, though, ended DeSales’ threat.
Kilgore led off the home half of the seventh with a double.
The Stallions then made a pitching change as they summoned Velazquez to the mound.
The southpaw notched a strikeout, but surrendered a single to Schaeffer.
With runners at the corners, Velazquez put another K in the book.
Trey Storr then singled to drive in MHS’ final run.
Velazquez ended the game with another strikeout.
The Monarchs tallied nine hits for the day, but left 10 runners on base.
DeSales’ pitchers appeared to keep MHS off-balance at times.
“We were slow to make adjustments at the plate,” admitted Blake. “If we had been quicker with those adjustments, we might have been about to put some early runs on the board.
“I have to do a better job of emphasizing that to the guys.”
DeSales 201 005 0-8 11 3
MHS 000 111 1-4 9 0
WP: Verne
LP: Van Hoose
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