Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The Monterey Wildcats earned a last-inning, walk-off 7-6 victory over Stone Memorial on Monday night.
The Wildcats struck for the first two runs of the game in the first inning, as Evan Robinson doubled to drive in Jordon Lowhorn and Riley Franz to give Monterey a 2-0 lead early.
That lead last until the top of the third, when Dylan Whittenburg knotted the game up with a two-run double of his own. A two-run triple two batters later led to a 5-2 advantage for the visiting Panthers.
The Panthers tacked on another run in the top of the fifth, and took that same lead into the bottom of the seventh, looking to close out a win.
After two walks to open the inning, Stone retired their first out of the frame on a line-out, but as it turns out, it was the last out they would get. Errors on ground balls hit by Lowhorn and Franz led to a 6-3 Panther lead with the bases loaded and one out for Silas Randolph.
And the senior delivered on Senior Night, as he smashed a first-pitch fastball over the left-centerfield fence to give the Wildcats a 7-6 walk-off victory over Stone Memorial.
“We got a early lead and then gave it up, and then we hung around,” said MHS head coach John Looper. “We gave ourselves a chance there at the end. They gave us some free passes, and then Silas took a first-pitch fastball and did what he was supposed to do with it.”
The seventh inning was a product of patience and opportunity for the Wildcats, as they took advantage of some key Stone Memorial mistakes to earn the win.
“They helped us, there’s no doubt,” Looper said. “They made some errors and had some walks, but that’s the game. It’s happened to us before, and we just happened to get the hit to win it.”
It brought about a story-book ending for Senior Night, as Looper expressed just how proud he was for the class of 2022.
“They’re four, four-year seniors, and that’s pretty rare,” Looper said. “They all contributed tonight…they all contributed to this, and I’m so proud of them. It couldn’t have ended in a better way.”
