Two innings into Friday’s Class 3A Fenwick Sectional Semifinal, one thing became quickly apparent to Benet and Montini.
Whoever was lucky enough to calm the rough seas that saw a combined 12 runs scored in the first two innings would get a leg up.
Alex Luka was ready and able to do just that for Montini by throwing three innings of one-run relief as Montini pulled out an 8-7 victory over Benet.
“I haven’t come in from first base at all this year, so that was a little different,” said Luka, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI at the plate. “I’ve usually either started or come from the bullpen. So that was new for me. The first couple batters were a little shaky, but I got into my rhythm.
Rhythm wasn’t anything either Benet starter Mike Dunn or his counterpart, Montini’s Jake Rosley, found early.
After an Alex Tassos RBI double and a Danny Sobolewski RBI single had staked Mike Dunn and the Redwings (14-20) to a 2-0 lead in the first, the Broncos (23-14) immediately responded.
The first three Broncos reached against Dunn – including a RBI single from Cooper Hynes – while a two-run single from Jack Gerberich came four batters later.
His best-laid plans scrapped with starter Mike Dunn only able to go 2/3 of an inning, Benet coach Scott Lawler gave Mark Moran simple instructions.
Stem the tide.
“Mark did a great job of battling all the way through,” Lawler said of Moran. “But we gave them too many chances and I think when you get this far in the playoffs, you can’t as many chances as we gave Montini and think you’re going to pull it out.
“I mean, we fought. We fought all the way through and I’m proud of them for that. But you just can’t give so many chances.”
A three-run top of the second for Benet – highlighted by a two-run triple from Erik Jones – was immediately answered with four more runs for Montini off Moran (1-4).
Still behind a run at 5-4 after a RBI groundout from JR Walsh, Nicolas Malik made sure the Broncos would never trail again – courtesy of one swing.
Malik’s two-run double put the Broncos up a run at 6-5 and Luka came through with a RBI single one batter later to increase the lead to two runs at 7-5.
“We knew from the game plan that it would be a boxing match – us, them, them, us – and we just had to keep hitting,” Malik said. “Keep the ball alive and we just knew we would come out on top. It was a great team victory. A great team victory.”
Seven Broncos got at least one hit while six Redwings – led by Jones’ 3-for-4 – recorded at least one hit as the lead exchanged hands five times.
An error on a ball hit by Jack Schneider in the fourth and a RBI groundout from Jake Barnhart in the fifth got the Redwings even again at 7-7.
But in loading the bases with one out in the sixth, a fielder’s choice on a ball hit to second put Montini up for good at 8-7.
Of the Redwings’ eight hits, five of them came in the first two innings.
With Rosley, the Broncos’ ace, done after four innings, having given up six runs – two earned – on seven hits, Lawler tipped his hat to Luka.
“He did a good job of keeping us off-balance,” Lawler said of Luka. “And we didn’t get any solid hits in those last couple innings.”
