Arlington Senior Legion ballplayer Wes Monke couldn't stand still after Friday night's Class B Area 3 Tournament game at Vets Field.
“Heart's beating a lot right now,” he said, holding his chest.
Coach TJ Stosich's Post 71 lineup topped its host, Blair, during the first round with a seventh-inning comeback. Trailing 3-2 going into the final frame, it came out 4-3 postseason winners.
“It propels us,” infielder Luke Sharp said when asked what the victory meant. “We've had confidence troubles throughout the season. We've had ups and downs — close losses. To finally pull ahead in a close game and win is a good feeling.”
The Eagles lost Saturday against Omaha Roncalli, 11-3, but were still alive going into the third day of Area 3 Tournament. Sunday's results and beyond will appear in Friday's Washington County Enterprise edition.
Last Friday, though, Arlington put together a win on its opposition's home field. Trailing 3-0 through one inning with Blair, Coach Stosich's squad notched one run apiece during the second and fourth innings as starting pitcher Jackson Stosich picked up three strikeouts on the mound.
The efforts — and defensive play behind the plate from Tanner Kyllo — kept Post 71 in the game going into the final frame. Needing one run to extend the matchup beyond the top of the seventh, Arlington notched two for the lead.
“We finally strung some hits and walks together,” Sharp said.
Kyllo was up first, reaching first base on a face-first slide off of an infield hit. After a flyout, Nolan Frauendorfer subbed in for his first plate appearance and walked, setting up Jackson Stosich against a new Blair pitcher.
The Eagles' starting right-hander delivered, singling to load the bases. That's when Monke stepped into the box and picked up three balls and two strikes.
“I was hoping it would be down the middle so I had a chance to do something with it,” he said of the next offering. “And the second I saw it come out of his hand I knew I was swinging.”
Monke's single scored courtesy runner Cameron Wirsen, tying the game at 3-all. With only one out, Sharp had a goal for his next at-bat.
“I was just trying to hit it hard out of the infield,” he said, not long after delivering the go-ahead sacrifice fly.
Arlington led, but it still had to protect its lead. Monke had come in for Stosich during the fifth inning and ultimately finished off the postseason win.
“I knew our defense was there today,” the pitcher said after the game-ending flyout, his heart still beating at a high rate.
Pride beats Post 71
Roncalli took control of Saturday's second-round game at Vets Field during the third inning.
Already leading 3-2, the Pride capitalized on Arlington miscues and pushed its lead out to 7-2. It won 11-3.
Jackson Stosich had evened the score at 2-all during the top of the second inning when he singled into left field. Roncalli made a throwing error on the play, allowing Luke Ott to reach home plate.
From there, though, the Pride dominated play. After its four-run third inning, it added three more in the fourth to reach and eight-run advantage — enough to end the game by run-rule during the fifth.
Post 71's Tyler Ott, however, extended the game during the top of the frame. He scored Sharp from second on a single into the outfield.
Roncalli immediately responded during the bottom of what became the final inning, though, winning by eight runs.
AREA 3 TOURNAMENT LINE SCORES
Saturday
Roncalli 11, Arlington 3, 5 inn.
ARL (6-8) 1 1 0 0 1 — 3
RON 2 1 4 3 1 — 11
Friday
Arlington 4, Blair 3
ARL (6-8) 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 — 4 5 1
BLAIR (17-16) 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 3 7 2
