Timely hitting with two outs and a stellar performance on the mound from Dylan Eck led Carl Junction to a 10-5 win over Monett on Tuesday at Joe Becker Stadium.
The Cubs (2-1) took the lead with an unearned run in the first before the Bulldogs (3-0) jumped back in front with two runs on two outs in the last of the third. Carl Junction blew the game open with a six-run fourth inning on the way to holding off Monett for the third win in as many games.
“Monett is a very good opponent, and Coach (Michael) Calhoun does a really good job,” Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson said. “Anytime you can get out of there with a win against Monett, you feel pretty good about it. … They brought a good lefty out there, but we stayed the course and got to their bullpen. Guys did a good job offensively. Defensively, we just have to be a little better.”
Eck earned the win on the mound after allowing two runs, one earned, in six innings of work. He scattered three hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
“Dylan Eck is a very composed individual, and not just on the field,” Stevenson said. “But in the classroom and away from the field, too. He is a guy we want to rely on this year. He had a good outing and we expect him to build off of that.”
Marcus Young took the loss after allowing two runs on three hits, three strikeouts and a walk.
Monett jumped out in front in the first inning after a pair of errors on the Bulldogs led to Jason Garner reaching base and touching home for a 1-0 lead.
Carl Junction used two-out magic to take the lead in the third when Noah Southern ripped a ball over the head of the centerfielder in the left-center gap and never stopped sprinting before sliding in head first at the plate for a go-ahead inside-the-park home run. Carson Johnson singled earlier in the inning and scored on the round tripper.
“I think he is waiting to have a breakout year,” Stevenson said of Southern, his catcher. “He is off to a good start. He is a kid who works hard at his craft … he is a good hitter and a good player.”
After a shutdown inning from Eck, Carl Junction went back to work in the bottom of the fourth, scoring six times all with two outs to give the Bulldogs an 8-1 lead. CJ had two-out RBI singles from Brendyn Downs and Alex Baker, while Drew Beyer and Southern added two-out, two-run singles in the frame.
“We got some guys who can hit,” Stevenson said of his team’s performance at the plate with two outs. “The biggest thing is we don’t want to get too antsy. I thought they stayed patient. It’s great to do it with two outs, and we’re glad we were able to do that, but we need to be better with one out.”
Monett trimmed the lead with an RBI single from Garner in the fifth, but Baker came up with another two-out hit in the sixth, a two-run double to left-center, to push the lead to 10-2.
“High school baseball is about momentum,” Stevenson added. “When you find that momentum, you have to keep it on your side if you are going to win big games down the road.”
Monett crossed home three times in the top of the seventh before the Bulldogs closed the door on the win with Johnson on the mound.
Southern led Carl Junction at the plate with three hits and four RBI, while Baker finished with two hits and three RBI. Beyer had two hits and scored three runs.
Carl Junction hosts Hollister on Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
