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Bronaugh baseball falls at home, 17-12
By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
BRONAUGH -- In a game that lasted 3 hours and featured a total of 29 runs on 20 hits, the Bronaugh Wildcats baseball team attempted a late rally, but ultimately fell short on their home field against a combination team from Montrose and Appleton City.
Though the Wildcats exhibited their usual tenacity in mounting a late rally that cut what was a 15-5 lead down to three runs in the fifth inning, Thursday's matchup was one that could have ended differently. Throughout the early innings, the usual aggressive baserunning Bronaugh has used in a number of games this season came back to bite the Wildcats as six runners were gunned down on the basepaths as a result of simple and avoidable errors in judgment.
Those six runners who were taken off the bases prematurely proved costly by game's end, as Bronaugh's late rally fell short by five runs.
As they have done on several occasions already this season, the Wildcats were forced to play Tuesday's game from behind the whole way, as starting pitcher Chance Wait and his defense struggled through the first inning. Montrose took full advantage of those struggles, taking a 3-0 lead before the home team even got a chance to pick up its bats.
That lead grew to four in the second inning as the early-game struggles continued for Bronaugh. With two more hits, Montrose plated its fourth run of the night in the second inning, seemingly grabbing a stranglehold on the game.
Though the frustration showed from the Wildcats almost right from the start of the contest, head coach Sean Crane's squad wasn't nearly done fighting, just yet. As the bottom of the second inning began, things started looking up for the hosts as Bronaugh needed just one hit to capitalize on the three walks the Montrose pitching staff issued in the frame and cut the deficit to just one.
With new life and a substantial measure of confidence following that rally, it looked as though the Wildcats might be able to turn things around, but head coach Kevin LaSalle's squad had other plans. Wait's struggles on the mound continued in the third inning and the Blue Jays took full advantage, plating three runs on two hits and a walk before Crane was forced to make a pitching change with the bases loaded and no outs.
By the time all was said and done, Wait's day on the mound came to an end after allowing 10 runs on six hits with four strikeouts and six walks. After getting the starter off the mound, Montrose went on to extend the rally to seven runs, opening up an 11-3 lead.
The Wildcats got two of those runs back in the home half of the frame, but still found themselves in a substantial hole, down, 11-5, after three innings.
That hole got even bigger in the fourth inning as the Blue Jays continued to batter the Bronaugh pitching staff. By the time all was said and done, LaSalle's squad plated four more runs in that frame, opening up a 15-5 lead and putting the Wildcats in danger of being on the receiving end of a run-rule defeat.
Crane and the other member of the Bronaugh coaching staff, James Frank, met that challenge head-on, however, changing the philosophy of the game and calling for every player to take as many pitches as possible. That philosophy turned out to be what nearly saved the game for the home team as the Wildcats went on to mount a four-run rally that was sparked by three Montrose errors and three walks in the fourth inning, turning what was a 10-run deficit into just six runs.
That wasn't all the Wildcats had up their sleeves, however, as that "catch up" game Frank and Crane encouraged continued to pay off in the fifth inning. Another rally that nearly echoed the third inning brought new life to the Wildcats as they put up three more runs in the frame to cut the Montrose lead to just three, at 15-12.
That was as close as the Wildcats were able to get, however, as Montrose added one more run in each of the final two innings and held Bronaugh scoreless, ultimately taking the five-run victory. By the time all was said and done, Montrose outhit the Wildcats, 14-6, but committed eight errors to Bronaugh's five.
Bronaugh's softball team was in action on the night, as well, but those results were not available at press time.
With the loss, the Wildcats fell to 2-6 on the season and will be back in action on Friday, heading back out on the road to take on Everton. First pitch in that contest is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., in Everton, Mo.