MONMOUTH — It’s been rough going for Roger Bachelder and some of the other Monmouth Academy seniors, who have won a total of five games in the previous two seasons.
That’s all changed this spring.
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The Mustangs won their 10th game of the season Tuesday, stopping Traip Academy 12-5 in a Western Class C baseball tournament preliminary-round game. Eighth-seeded Monmouth (10-6) advanced to play No. 1 St. Dominic on Thursday; No. 9 Traip finished 8-9.
“It took a lot of guts to come back from what we had last year,” said Bachelder, who had a double and triple among Monmouth’s 10 hits. “We’re just hoping to go to (St. Dominic) and play a good game over there.”
The Mustangs got off to a strong start, scoring three runs in the first inning. They lost their lead when the Rangers scored four times in the third, but bounced back to take the lead for good with six runs in the fifth.
After the Rangers went in order in the first, Kyle Fletcher led off the bottom of the inning with a bloop single to left off Traip starter Mark McKenney. Brandon Goff followed with a bunt toward third. Catcher Christian Montembeau dived to catch the ball and as it tipped off his mitt, he collided with McKenney and lay on the field for several minutes until an ambulance arrived.
“He got a knee to the mouth,” Traip Coach Paul Marquis said. “He got a slice to the chin and the front part of his teeth were pushed up against the roof of his mouth.
“The word is they might be able to save the teeth and it wasn’t a concussion.”
The game was delayed a half-hour, but the Mustangs didn’t lose their momentum. Bachelder’s sacrifice fly made it 1-0 and another run scored on a misplay when the throw came back to the infield. After Josh Fournier’s infield hit, Billy Cummings doubled deep to right-center field to make it 3-0.
Monmouth Coach Eric Palleschi lifted Fletcher after three innings and brought in Jeremy Ashlock, keeping both eligible to pitch again Thursday.
“That was part of the plan,” Palleschi said. “We tried to save what we could given the opportunity.
“(Fletcher) got a little tired. He didn’t have his (best) stuff, but we were able to get three (innings) out of him. (Ashlock) gave us three great innings.”
McKenney walked the first two batters on eight pitches in the fifth. He also gave up the tying run when Goff scored on a wild pitch. Ashlock and D.J. McHugh singled home runs later in the inning and Fletcher capped the rally with a two-run double to left-center.
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