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GLEN DALE -- Coming off of a pair of season opening losses, John Marshall's baseball team got back to basics Monday afternoon with aggressive base running and manufacturing runs playing big parts in the Monarchs' first victory of the young season.
Isaac Koontz pitched two innings of scoreless relief and Jacob Coffield chased home the eventual game-winning run with a fielder's choice in the bottom of the sixth as coach Mark Cisar's John Marshall squad collected a hard-earned, and well deserved 5-3 win over sectional rival Brooke at Monarch Field.
Things didn't start out great for starting pitcher Brennan Sobutka and the Monarchs with the Bruins' (2-1) Anthony Bachinski ripping a solo-home run deep to center field on the game's first pitch. After a four-pitch walk to the next batter, Sobutka settled in and retired the next eight batters in order, including picking up five of his 10 strikeouts in the contest.
The hosts answered in the home-half of the first with Tyler Stauffer leading off with a single, moving to second on a wild pitch, going to third on a fielder's choice and scoring on Brennan Sobutka's rbi single. However, the Monarchs stranded a pair, something both teams struggled with all day.
John Marshall got its first lead of the contest in the second when Ethan Cook reached on a one-out walk, stole second and third and eventually scored on a passed ball for a 2-1 advantage.
Adam Haynes, the Monarchs' No. 9 hitter, started the fourth with a base hit, stole second and moved to third on another fielder's choice. Haynes then made it 3-1 when he scored on a Brooke error.
Coach C.J. Besece's Bruins knotted the count in the fifth with a little help. Bachinski and Lauttamus each stroked one-out base hits before Braelyn Speringer reached on a John Marshall miscue to load the bases. Garrett Hornick worked a four-pitch walk to chase home the first run before Paden Toepfer also walked to push home another tally and tie the score at 3-3.
After wasting a lead-off double and a base hit in the fifth, the Monarchs did the needed damage in the bottom of the sixth. Haynes was hit by a pitch to get things started and moved up on a wild pitch. Stauffer's bunt single moved him to third, with Stauffer moving to second on a stolen base.
Coffield's fielder's choice brought Haynes home to make it 4-3 before Brennan Sobutka added another run-scoring fielder's choice for an insurance run.
Brooke did get a runner on in the seventh thanks to an error, but Koontz managed to get the final two outs on a fly out and a strikeout to collect the win.
Stauffer and Alex Wilhelm each had a pair of hits for the Monarchs while Brennan Sobutka chased home a pair of runs.
"It is nice to get our first win of the season, and a nice early win at that, but this was just a good high school baseball game and I would feel that way even if we lost," Cisar said. "Sobutka threw outstanding for us and Koontz came in at the end and did a great job.
"Base running was very good for us, even though we broke early a couple of times we still managed to get steals because there was no hesitation. As for the two runs in the sixth, if you can put the ball in play in late game situations that is always a good thing.
"Overall, we booted a couple that led to runs and so did they. We kept each other in the game. But we definitely had a lot better at bats (Monday) then we had been having."
Bachinski collected a single, double, home run and rbi while Lauttamus had a pair of singles for the Bruins.
"We did absolutely everything we could do to lose this game," a dejected Besece admitted. "There was no discipline in the field or at the plate. And we definitely could not get a big hit with runners on. We really need to take a better approach at the plate."