Tuesday’s game against Prairie is a prime example of the recipe for success for the Evergreen baseball team this season.
The Plainsmen got a lot of good pitching, a lot of good defense, some offense and just a little bit of luck to slip past Prairie 2-0 in the oft-postponed 3A Greater St. League opener for both teams.
“That’s what we’ve been preaching is just pitching and defense,” Evergreen senior Tommy Snyder said. “Then the hitting will come along, and we’ll win games.”
With the bases loaded in the fifth, Snyder beat out a potential inning-ending double play, scoring the game’s first run. Taylor Birchem followed with an RBI single, and that was enough as Snyder and Carter Monda combined on a three-hit shutout.
“That’s how we’re going to have to win games this season,” coach Chad Burchett said. “We aren’t going to put 10 runs on anybody. We knew runs were going to be hard to come by, but we found a way.”
Evergreen (4-1) put runners on third base with one out in the third and fourth inning, but Prairie pitcher Josiah Nickel worked out of the jams both times.
Evergreen nearly scored in the fourth when Monda doubled off the fence in left. However, the umpires ruled that the ball got caught in the mesh that lines the outfield fence and ruled a ground-rule double, sending Luke Allen back to third.
But in the fifth the Falcons got into a jam they couldn’t quite escape.
Allen’s double and a pair of walks loaded the bases for Snyder with one out.
Snyder hit the ball the ball sharply to second. But just as the Falcons looked like they’d get the double play they needed to escape the jam again, a slight bobble gave Snyder enough time to get down the line and beat out the throw to first.
“I was really worried,” Snyder said. “If he fields that cleanly, that’s a double play.”
Birchem followed with a sharp single to right off reliever Blake Robb to make it 2-0.
“Taylor and Blake both play for my summer team,” Burchett said. “I think that may have given Taylor a little edge there.”
Snyder got one more out in the sixth before Burchett handed the ball to Monda, a sophomore.
“Carter is a specimen for a sophomore,” Burchett said. “He’s a big kid for 15. By the time he’s a senior, he’s going to have people out to take a look at him. He’s a two-sport kid, but he could play any sport and be good. He’s our shortstop, but he could be our best center fielder too. And he’s a weapon in relief. I brought him into some tough situations last year as a freshman, and I think that has served him well.”
Like Monda, the Plainsmen have several players looking to make an impact in the 3A GSHL this season.
“We’ve got a lot of kids, first-year varsity players, who are going to make names for themselves this season,” Burchett said. “They just need some experience.”
The Plainsmen will get that experience this week with games Wednesday, Thursday and Friday against Kelso, Fort Vancouver and Hudson’s Bay.
“That’s why we wanted to get this one in today,” Burchett said of the game against Prairie, which was twice postponed last week. “We had the Shop Vac out this morning getting the field dry. My athletic director said if he paid for the umpires and we didn’t get this game in, I’d be in big trouble. So we were going to get it in.”
The forecast looks good for the rest of the week for baseball. And it looks good for the rest of the season for the Plainsmen if they can keep Tuesday’s recipe for success cooking.
EVERGREEN 2, PRAIRIE 0
Prairie 000 000 0—0 3 0
Evergreen 000 020 x—2 5 0
Prairie
Pitching – Josiah Nickel 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, loss; Blake Robb 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, 0 BB. Highlights – Ethen McClintock 1-3; Brady Majewski 1-3; Josiah Nickel 1-2.
Evergreen
Pitching – Tommy Snyder 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 11 K, 0 BB, win; Carter Monda 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, save. Highlights – Luke Allen 1-2, 2B, run; Taylor Birchem 1-2, RBI; Carter Monda 1-2, run, 2B; David Montei 1-2, 2B; Tommy Snder RBI; Nate Tomas 1-3.
