Mounties overcome Crusaders

No. 8 Mount produces five extra-base hits in 1-run win

WOONSOCKET — The No. 8 Mount St. Charles baseball team made far too many mistakes – both physical and mental – to win a Division II playoff game.

No. 9 Prout made one more than the Mounties.

In a game that featured eight unearned runs and eight errors, the Mounties took advantage of three Crusader mistakes in the bottom of the fifth inning to score the game-winning run. After Tim Kenney doubled and scored on an error, second baseman A.J. Cook lined a double to right to plate Alex Gonfrade for what turned out to be the game-winning run in a 6-5

d Division II Region 1 victory over the Crusaders Wednesday afternoon.

“I can look at this game as t this is how we’ve been playing all year,” Mount coach r Paul Jacques said. “We played a lot better defense today than we’ve been playing lately, but what I’m upset about is the mental mistakes t we made with not covering first and base running. Obviously, I’m still happy because it’s win and advance. f We can’t make the same d mistakes [today] against

Chariho.” d “What I told them team at

the end is part of the Prout d philosophy is make routine plays, don’t walk guys and t don’t hit guys on 0-2 pitches,” Prout coach Mike Lad Barbera said. “A lot of the

base runners that scored for us and them were on base because of a misplayed ball. You also have to give the guys credit for putting the ball in the gap and driving them in.”

Cook, who was 2-for-2, took advantage of back-toback errors in the fifth inning to provide the game winning run. With Gonfrade at second base after an error and a wild pitch, the diminutive sophomore second baseman ripped a Nick Niles pitch to right field to plate Gonfrade for the winning run.

“I was just looking to drive a pitch and a pitch I could do something with and put it in a gap,” said Cook, who was starting because of his dependable defense. “I just wanted to make sure I got that run. Winning this game is a load off our shoulders. It’s good to get in the win column to start the playoffs.”

No. 9 Prout (9-10 Division II) finds itself in a familiar position because the Crusaders also lost their first game of last season’s Division II playoffs, to Scituate, but rebounded by winning five straight games. Prout was eventually eliminated in the Region II title game by the Spartans.

The good news for LaBarbera is that when his team returns to the field Friday to play in a losers’ bracket game, he’ll have every pitcher except available Wednesday’s starter, Kyle McCutcheon.

“Who knows what’s going to happen,” LaBarbera said. “We just need to try and play Prout baseball. If the other team outhits us and out pitches us and we play clean, then I’ll tell the kids that I’m proud of them.”

Mount St. Charles (11-8 Division II) heads to Wood River Junction for the sec-

ond time this month to face the top-seeded Chargers for a spot in the winners’ bracket final. Jacques didn’t indicate who would start on the mound, but his options are Ryan Kenney and Gonfrade. The junior hasn’t pitched since he was hit by a line drive on his pitching hand last week.

Tim Kenney earned the win after allowing just two hits and three earned runs in six innings of work. Kenney’s issue early in the contest was throwing strikes, as the righty walked four batters and hit a Crusader in the first three innings. A pair of double plays started by third baseman Dan Johnson kept Prout off the scoreboard early in the game.

“I thought Tim Kenney did a good job and he finally got some help from his defense,” Jacques said. “He gutted it out and got us

through six innings. If you look at it, there’s a possibility that we could play five games in a row, so him pitching as deep as he did really helps us out.”

The Mounties opened the scoring in the second when Isaiah Lee was hit in the wrist with the bases loaded to score Tim Kenney, but the lead was short lived because McCutcheon cracked an opposite-field triple in the third to score Michael Bogosian and Ben Bilotti.

Mount freshman Cee-Jay Laquerre, who replaced Lee because of an injury to his wrist, tripled to right field in the fourth to score Cook (double) and Josh Slaney to put the home side up by a pair.

Prout took advantage of two infield errors in the fifth inning to square the game, as Bilotti and Nick Gwaltney (error) scored on a single up the middle by designated hitter Jared Irons.

Just as they did in fourth, the Mounties responded in the fifth inning with a pair of runs to take a lead they would never relinquish. Tim Kenney doubled and scored on an error before Cook’s double scored Gonfrade.

“A.J.’s two doubles were huge,” Jacques said. “He’s been in and out of the lineup all season and he came up big for us today.”

Prout answered with a run in the sixth, but Mount reliever Dan Johnson pitched the home side’s first clean inning for the save.