GLEN DALE – Morgantown and John Marshall combined for 24 runs, 24 hits, 10 errors and left 20 runners on base Tuesday night in high school baseball action.
When the dust had settled on Monarchs Field after 2-hours, 21-minutes, the visiting Mohigans (12-1) had posted a 15-9 slugfest victory over the Monarchs (6-8).
“We weren’t really sure how the kids were going to react today after losing for the first time on Saturday,” Morgantown head coach Pat Sherald said. “I was pleased with the way they responded.”
Morgantown, which was run-ruled by Catoctin, Md., took a 5-0 lead after an inning-and-a-half and led 9-6 after four innings.
John Marshall, which was its own worst enemy all game, tallied twice in the bottom of the sixth to pull to within 9-8 on a 2-run single by Ethan Cook.
However, as has been the case for much of the season, John Marshall couldn’t close the deal as Morgantown erupted for six runs on just two hits in blowing the game open … again.
“We shot ourselves in the foot the whole game. We had a chance to get out of a couple innings without any or minimal damage, but we can’t make the routine plays at times,” John Marshall head coach Mark Cisar said.
Aaron Jamison highlighted the late uprising with his second home run of the game, giving him six this season after belting 14 last spring. His solo shot in the first inning sailed well over the fence in deep right, while the second went over the fence in left-center.
“He led the state last year in homers and was the Prep Baseball Report Player of the Year,” Sherald said of his left-handed slugger.
Cook singled in Brayden Sobutka in the second to get the Monarchs on the scoreboard. Sobutka had led off the inning with a double.
After the Mohigans made it 6-1 in the top of the third, JM cut the deficit in half when Cook lined a double to the gap in left-center as Jacob Coffield and Brayden Sobutka raced home.
Both teams scored three times in the fifth as Cain Martin’s double down the right field line chased in Adam Haynes and Tyler Stauffer, making it 9-5. Martin sprinted home on a groundout for a 9-6 reading.
Cook, who came on in relief of Brody Williams in the fourth, kept the Mohigans off the board in the fifth and sixth innings to allow the Monarchs to hang close.
“I loved the way we battled back,” Cisar stressed. “I thought we had some really good at-bats and we ran the bases well.”
What he didn’t like was the six errors, eight base-on-balls and five hit batsmen.
“We’ve got to be able to throw strikes. We’re giving away too many free bases, and that will come back to haunt you,” he noted.
Caleb Nutter drove in three runs for Morgantown with a single and two doubles.
“He had some huge at-bats for us today,” Sherald said.
Caleb Cottle added a 2-run single and Drew Bailey singled, doubled and plated a run.
Tommy Montague got the mound win with two strikeouts and a pair of walks in five innings.
Cook finished with five RBI and Martin added three. Coffield singled twice.
John Marshall is back at it today when it travels to the I-470 J.B. Chambers Complex to meet Wheeling Central at 5.
Box Score
Morgantown 15, John Marshall 9
Morgantown 231 300 6 – 15 12 4
John Marshall 012 302 1 – 9 12 6
M–Montague wp (2K, 2BB), Milik (6), (3K, 2BB) and Galusky; Mazey S, SF, rbi; Jamison 2HR, 3rbi; Fluharty S, D, rbi; Cottle S, 2rbi; Nutter S, 2D, 3rbi; Bailey S, D, rbi; Travinski SF, rbi
JM–Williams lp (1K, 5BB), Cook (4), (1K, 2BB) and Martin; Martin D, T, 3rbi; Coffield 2S; Bre. Sobutka D, rbi; Cook S, 2D, 5rbi
— Story by Kim North
