GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas For its season opener, Methodist baseball drew 23rd-ranked Concordia University Texas at the Rusty Greer/Jackie Moore Collegiate Classic and the battle did not disappoint as the two teams needed 11 innings to decide a victor. Unfortunately for the Monarchs, it was the Tornados that earned the win, 2-1, thanks to a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th.
With one out and bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th, it appeared that the Monarchs would get out of their jam after forcing an out at the home plate on a fielder's choice. However, in the next at-bat, Casen Novak ended the game with a single to centerfield.
It was your classic pitcher's duel as
Will Walker earned the start and kept Concordia Texas off the board in his seven innings of action. Walker finished with seven strikeouts and allowed just three hits and one walk.
Lance Fuerstenberg extended the game into extra innings by going 2.1 innings without allowing a run after the Tornados tied the game in the eighth inning. Fuerstenberg entered the eighth with the bases loaded but earned the strikeout for the final out in the inning.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final scores: Concordia Texas def. Methodist, 2-1 (11)
Records: Methodist 0-1, Concordia Texas 1-0
Location: Air Hog Stadium; Grand Prairie, Texas
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Monarchs only score came in the second inning after Ethan Carmack singled to score Clay Richardson from second base. Richardson drew a walk in his at-bat and he advanced to second after a Jordan Cassell single.
- Two consecutive walks in the eighth resulted in the Tornados tying the game at 1-all. Jacob Gwynne singled to leadoff the inning and a double moved him to third. Two walks later and he scored.
- The Methodist offense could not generate much besides the two hits and the walk in the second. The Monarchs recorded just three hits and two walks in the other 10 innings combined.
- In the ninth inning, Richardson was left stranded at second for Methodist after two straight strikeouts. A groundout in the 11th kept Rob Wilkerson stuck at second.
- Meanwhile, Concordia Texas eventually made the most of their opportunities in the bottom of the 11th. Jayden Hernandez led off with a single up the middle and moved to third after a throwing error and a sacrifice bunt. Stephen Eller stepped on the mound for Methodist with the bases loaded and just one out. Matthias Carter made the throw home to Alex Kachler to get Hernandez for the second out and most importantly force another at-bat. Then came Novak's single for the win, however.
STAT FACTS
- The eight men left on base by Methodist and nine men left stranded by Concordia Texas means that each team is lamenting their lost opportunities.
- Carmack (two hits) and Wilkerson (one hit, one walk) were the only Monarchs to reach first base safely twice, besides those hit by pitches.
- It's only up from here offensively as the Monarch batters recorded 13 strikeouts, the most by Methodist since March 2018.
- Walker's placement was impeccable as 60 of his 92 pitches were called strikes.
- Concordia Texas has some strike-throwers of their own as Matthew Williams and Daniel Lewis made life difficult. Williams earned eight K's in seven innings and allowed just three hits and the one earned run. Lewis covered the other four innings by giving up just two hits against five strikeouts. Altogether, of the 126 pitches that the duo threw, 84 of them went for strikes.
UP NEXT
For Day 2 of the Rusty Greer/Jackie Moore Classic in Grand Prairie, Texas, the Monarchs play Hardin-Simmons Saturday, February 8 at 12 p.m. EST.
