Baseball: Brother Martin rallies past Rummel, 7-5

METAIRIE – In a game of many twists, turns and baserunners for both teams, Brother Martin got the last of the big hits in its Catholic League battle against Archbishop Rummel.

Cole Stromboe drilled a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning off of Matt Villa to break a tie and cap a three-run rally as the Crusaders downed the Raiders 7-5 at Mike Miley Stadium in District 9-5A action Saturday night in a game aired on WGSO 990 AM and at WGSO.com.

Stromboe’s big hit came after Tre Morgan had tied the game with an RBI double earlier in the frame.

“We kind of started off real strong and then they came back,” Stromboe said. “I was really when I saw my guys get on base in front of me. I got to a 2-0 count and I was looking for something I could drive into the gap. I got it and I reached out and was able to put it in the gap to bring the runs in. It felt good.”

Rummel took the lead in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Ron Franklin drew a walk from Brandon Bonura and Kyle Walker doubled to the gap in right-center field, scoring Franklin to make it 1-0.

Things fell apart for the Raiders and starting pitcher Jackson Dennies in the bottom of the second as Dennies walked four, hit a batter, had a throwing error and threw a wild pitch. Blaine Starring drove in a run on a grounder which turned into an error, a wild pitch scored a second run and Tre Morgan got an RBI when he was hit by a pitch to make it 4-1. The Crusaders stranded the bases loaded.

Rummel got a run back in the top of the fourth on a walk to Tyler Cook, a single by Logan Bertucci, a sacrifice bunt by Stephen Powers to advance both runners, a walk to Lance Johnson and a bases loaded walk to Franklin to make it 4-2 but the Raiders stranded the bases loaded.

The Raiders took the lead in the top of the sixth inning with three runs. Powers, who made a terrific catch to save two runs in the bottom of the fifth, drew a walk and Johnson reached on an error. Kade Rivera walked to load the bases and Walker had an infield single off the glove of pitcher Jacob Cohen to score Powers to make it 4-3.

With two outs, Chandler Fields delivered a two-run single to give Rummel a 5-4 lead but it would not last long.

Brother Martin responded immediately against Rummel reliever Hayden Elwell. Brady Faust singled to left and scored on an RBI double by Morgan to tie the game 5-5, setting the stage for Stromboe’s heroics.

“I am definitely proud of the ways our guys came back,” Brother Martin coach Jeff Lupo said. “We did just about anything we could to lose and then we found a way to come back and get on top. It shows their character. They kept fighting. This is a good club we just fought against. We found a way to win tonight but we’ve got to be better. Jacob Cohen did a good job in relief for us.”

Both starters struggled to throw strikes. Dennies went three innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on two hits. He walked six, hit a batter and had a wild pitch. Dennies fanned three hitters, throwing 88 pitches. Hunter Elwell took the loss in relief, going two and one third innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Villa went the final two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run on the deciding hit.

Bonura went three and one-third innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He walked six and struck out four, using 85 pitches. Cohen went three and two-third innings to pick up the win, allowing three runs (none earned) on three hits. He walked three and struck out six.

Brother Martin (19-5, 5-3) stranded 10 runners while Rummel (15-10, 2-5) left 11 on base. Stromboe had two hits and two RBI for the Crusaders while Walker had two hits and two RBI for the Raiders.

“I thought the lineup did a decent job of battling,” Rummel coach Nick Monica said. “I think we did enough there but anytime you throw your No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers out on the mound and you don’t get much from them, it’s tough to win. We need our best guys to carry us and they didn’t do that. They scored four runs in the second inning and the ball didn’t leave the green of the infield. It’s just frustrating. Our best players need to be good for us. We just haven’t been consistent enough.”

The two teams conclude the series Wednesday night at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium at 7 p.m.

Final
AR 100 103 0 5 7 2, 11 LOB
BM 040 003 x 7 7 1, 10 LOB
WP—Jacob Cohen (4-0)
LP—Hayden Elwell (0-3)
Time of Game: 2:36
SB—Brady Faust, Cole Stromboe, Bryce Gauthier
2B—Brennan Stuprich, Tre Morgan, Cole Stromboe, Kyle Walker