photo by: Photo by Cody Nespor

John Marshall's Grant Neiswonger hits a ball into right field for a single during the seventh inning Thursday. Neiswonger would come around to score the game-winning run later in the inning.

GLEN DALE — A game that at one point seemed certain to end with the 10-run rule turned into a dramatic nail-biter as John Marshall defeated visiting University 9-8 with a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Monarchs (5-8) led 8-0 through the first four innings, but four-spots by the Hawks in the tops of the fifth and seventh innings knotted the game at 8-8 and put the pressure on their hosts.

“That’s high school baseball, sometimes crazy stuff happens,” said JM coach Mark Cisar. “And that’s what happened to us, we let them back in it with some crazy stuff.”

Needing one run to win, senior first baseman Grant Neiswonger led off the bottom of the seventh with a flare into short right field that fell in between University’s second baseman and outfielders. Neiswonger then moved up to second base when a pitch kicked away from the Hawks’ catcher and he took third when the catcher lost the ball for a moment in between his legs.

“Obviously you’re playing for one and you’re trying to get one no matter what,” Cisar said. “Great baserunning by him to get to second. Then he read a ball in the dirt and got a good jump on that to get to third base and now you just have to put a ball in play.”

Jacob Korngiver struck out for the first out of the inning, but Neiswonger was able to come home and score the game-winning run when another ball got away from University’s backstop, giving the Monarchs the 9-8 win.

“That’s knowing the game, knowing that if the ball gets away and he gets (to third base), he’s going to score,” Cisar said of Neiswonger. “Just good baserunning by him.”

John Marshall built up its early lead thanks to some defensive miscues by the visitors. An error in the outfield and a passed ball allowed lead-off hitter Dillon Wright to come home in the bottom of the first and Neiswonger was able to come home two batters later when University’s right fielder let a ball sneak under his glove and roll all the way to the wall. Back-to-back singles and a double by Conner Blatt plated two more runs and JM led 4-0 after the first inning.

It was a similar story in the bottom of the third, when back-to-back errors in the field allowed two runs to score before Gage Mikels hit a double to the left-field wall that drove in two more and the Monarchs were leading 8-0.

“They handed us a bunch of runs and we took advantage of it,” Cisar said. “The other day, we left guys on and (Thursday), we didn’t leave guys on, we got them in. Probably in both of those (innings) they could’ve been out of it with no runs and we put four up, not one, we put four up, which was huge.”

JM had a chance to end the game with a mercy-rule in the bottom of the fourth, as they got runners to second and third with just one out. At that point, University coach Brad Comport made a change on the mound, replacing starter Chase George with Gabe Jansen.

Jansen impressed, getting a strikeout and ground out to end the fourth and then breezing through perfect bottoms of the fifth and sixth innings.

On the other side, JM starter Jacob Coffield cruised through the first four innings, not allowing a runner past second base.

He hit a snag in the top of the fifth, when University drew a walk and followed up with three straight hits to plate four runs. The big blow being a two-run double by Gabe Templeton.

Following a painless sixth, Coffield got to work quickly in the top of the seventh, striking out two batters after allowing a lead-off single. With just one out left and a man on first, University needed at least four runs to extend the game, and that’s exactly what they got.

After drawing a walk and a hit by pitch, Aaron Forbes hit a two-run single, Noah Braham hit an RBI single and Jason Croston laced a double into the right-center field gap to score four runs in total and tie the game 8-8. Coffield finally induced a groundout to end the inning one batter later.

“I thought he threw the ball great, but they had some good at-bats,” Cisar said. “That is what battling is. (Coffield) threw a couple of great curveballs and they reached out and just flicked them. Good hitting by them and good pitching by us, but things will drop sometimes.”

Despite blowing an 8-run lead, Cisar said there was no panic in the JM dugout.

“What’s great about baseball is, you’ve got to make outs, there’s no play clock,” Cisar said. “We’re not going to hand it off or take a knee and the clock’s going to run out, we’re not going to hold the basketball until the game’s over — you have to make outs. Nobody’s ever out of a game…you have opportunities no matter how much you’re down by if you battle and do things right.”

Coffield got the win on the mound, allowing eight runs in seven innings while striking out eight and walking four. Neiswonger finished with two singles and two runs scored. At the plate, Coffield had a single and an RBI and scored two runs. Blatt had a single and double and two RBI while Mikels finished with a double and two RBI. Braden Sobutka had an RBI-groundout in the bottom of the third.

For University, Jansen took the hard-luck loss despite pitching three stellar innings, striking out three and walking just one. George stuck out two and walked three in 3 1/3 innings.

Templeton finished with a single, double and two RBI while Forbes had a single and two RBI.

John Marshall will stay home to host Shadyside for a game this afternoon.

John Marshall 9. University 8

UNIVERSITY — George (2K, 3BB), Jansen lp (4) (3K, 0BB) and Park Croyle. Templeton S, D, 2rbi; Forbes S, 2rbi; Braham S, rbi; Croston D, rbi.

JM — Coffield wp (8K, 3BB) and Mikels. Neiswonger 2S, Coffield S, rbi; Blatt S, D, 2rbi; Mikels D, 2rbi; Bra. Sobutka rbi.

Uni 0-0-0 0-4-0 4 — 8 9 8

JM 4-0-4 0-0-0 1 — 9 5 1