A balk is a rarity in any baseball game. Two is especially rare. Two that result and produce a pair of off-setting runs to push a game into extra innings? That could only happen in a rivalry game like it did with Madison County and William Monroe.
In a game where the first seven innings were about those two balks, the outstanding pitching sandwiched between those two miscues, and stranded base runners, finally a change of pace came in the eighth inning when the offenses came to life. And after Isaiah Smith’s RBI double in the top of the eighth put Madison ahead, Monroe looked poised to come up with something special with the bases loaded with no outs. As it turns out, Smith wasn’t the only hero for the Mountaineers. Reliever Bradley Merryman got his team two enormous strikeouts and then Cole Smith came up with a great play on a ground ball to third to give Madison a 2-1 win on the road.
“Up until tonight I thought us coaches wanted (to win) more than anybody else so I was glad to see to (our players) do want to win just as much too,” said Mountaineers coach David Londrey. “If it has to take a rivalry game to get that, okay, but we’d better continue in this direction because (this team) has shown its hand now and I know that they can play now.”
The win was the first against the Dragons for both Londrey and his staff since he took over in 2012 and for his senior class, which include Smith, and James Graves and Dylan Berry, all of whom where instrumental in the win. It also snapped a six game skid this year.
The first three innings were all about Graves who fanned eight Monroe batters. He faced just nine batters. However, he was forced out of the game due to the VHSL inning count rule. That brought in Merryman who picked up right where Graves left off as he struck out seven more Monroe batters, none more important than the two in the bottom of the eighth. It was there with Madison up 2-1 that the Dragons offense finally looked poised to break out after Cody Spencer led off with a double and Keegan Woolford followed up with a single. Madison elected to loaded the bases with an intentional walk. Merryman then picked up a pair of swinging strikeouts.
“Merryman has very much impressed me with what he’s been able to get out of,” Londrey said. “It’s just been that everyone’s been struggling to back up our pitchers and tonight we didn’t.”
That set up the tough play for Cole Smith who came up just in time with the ground ball and throw that would have likely been an infield single on most plays to wrap up the win.
“All of us came together mentally and made the plays,” Merryman said. “I did not think that was going to be an easy play, (Cole Smith) was playing back but made a great throw.”
Monroe’s Cody Spencer was also impressive in his four inning start as he struck out six batters. His only run came as the result of a two out balk with runners on first and third. Madison returned the favor though in the bottom of the bottom of the sixth. There Dylan Shifflett picked up a single, worked his way over the third and was given home on a balk.
In the top of the eighth Madison got Chris Smith on base with two outs as he earned a walk. That set up Isaiah Smith who hit a line drive double up the middle to make it 2-1. It held, and the sophomore who delivered the game winning run was all to happy to do so.
“I had to try and keep calm and remember everything my coaches have been preaching to me — keeping my hands back and finishing my swing,” Smith said. “It feels great to get this win, it’s been a long time. Now we need to keep our streak going.”
And for the coaching staff, having the sophomore come through was meaningful too.
“He finally got his pitch to hit and he put the fat part of the bat on it,” Londrey said. “I was proud of him and then proud of Chris for not even hesitating to go home. If we’re going to get beat, let’s go out and get beat, make the other team make a play.”
Monroe’s Spencer Eldridge struck out five batters in his four innings of relief and gave up just one hit.
Madison stranded a bases loaded situation in the second inning. Monroe had five different runners get in scoring position in the first five innings but also failed to plate any of those. While the Mountaineers had just two hits in the game, Monroe did not fair much better with just four of their own.
“Cody Spencer threw great and gave up a run on a balk, but that’s also the only way we were able to score,” Maynard said. “It was a pathetic offensive showing for us but (Madison) threw the ball great. Credit to them. James Graves came out and mowed us down. We were not ready to play and that’s my fault. So now we have to go out and get better.”
