Blast buries Bears

Before the season, Blake Caldwell said one of his goals going into his senior campaign was to hit the first home run of his career.

He fulfilled his goal in a big way.

Caldwell, a Jay County High School senior, hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting the Patriot baseball team to a 10-9 upset of the Monroe Central Golden Bears on Monday at Don E. Selvey Field.

“I felt like I was in a dream,” Caldwell said of his feeling once he rounded first base and saw his blast sail over the fence in left field. “I still feel like I’m in a dream and (that) it’s not real. It was something else.

“I can’t believe it’s real.”

It was a fitting end to the game for the Patriots (4-3), who had not hit a home run all season but powered their way to four round-trippers against the previously undefeated Golden Bears (12-1), the top-ranked team in Class 2A.

“Geez, it was a fun game,” said JCHS coach Lea Selvey. “You hate to lose one like that. Hopefully we’re seeing these kids come of age (but) they’re a good ball club.

“We came out ready to play.”

While the Patriots built their lead, and eventually won, with the long ball, it was the Golden Bears playing small ball that put them on top in the seventh inning.

Joel Kennedy hit an RBI single to right-center field with one out and bases loaded as Monroe Central tied the game at 7-7 after trailing 6-0 through two innings. Again with the bases full, Caleb Snyder put down a squeeze bunt that scored a pair and put the Golden Bears out front, 9-7.

“I trusted him to do the job,” MCHS coach Matt Deckman said. “He got it down and obviously that was a big point of the game, obviously didn’t end up being enough though.”

Jay County responded in the home half of the frame with a pair of runs to send the game into extras. Sam Dunlavy singled to begin the frame and, following consecutive strikeouts, Josh Dowlen walked to put two runners on base.

Quinn Faulkner, who already had two hits including a solo home run, hit a sharp grounder up the middle that shortstop Ashton Bandy knocked down before it could get into the outfield. Dunlavy scored easy, and Dowlen never stopped running and slid head first into home for the game-tying run ahead of a throw to the plate.

Faulkner, representing the potential game-winning run, reached third on the play but he was left there.

Monroe Central got a baserunner on with one out in the top of the eighth but nothing else.

Then Caldwell, facing Synder in relief and down 0-1 in the bottom of the eighth, ripped his walk-off over the fence in left field.

“Fastball,” Caldwell said of what he was looking for on Snyder’s second offering. “He hasn’t thrown a curveball yet. The one before I should have done that. Then he threw one down the middle and I took advantage of it. I tried to hit a line drive and then it ended up sailing.”

Strong winds to straightaway center field helped the Patriots go yard four times. After Faulkner’s leadoff homer in the first, Austin Curts — he was the Patriots’ starting pitcher — helped his cause with a three-run blast in the same inning.

Then in the fifth, Gavin Myers went deep for a solo shot, which at that point put Jay County on top 7-4. All four homers were the first of their respective careers.

The Patriots had a 14-6 edge in hits, and only struck out six times compared to 10 for the Golden Bears.

“Our offense was great,” Caldwell said. “We knew we had to be aggressive against this good of a team. These guys were undefeated coming in and we knew we might not see their best pitcher … We were a good unit today; took care of business.

“All in all I’m really proud of the guys for not giving up.”

Curts went 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs — three earned — on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Crosby Heniser and Dusty Pearson had 1 2/3 inning of relief each, with the latter getting the win.

Faulkner and Caldwell led Jay County’s offense by both going 3-for-5. Faulkner drove in three runs and Caldwell knocked in a pair. Brothers Sam and Gavin Myers combined to go 4-for-8 with two RBIs.

Kennedy led Monroe Central by going 2-for-3, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Bryce Deckman contributed two doubles.

“Tip your cap to Jay County, they came out ready to play (and) punched us in the mouth,” Matt Deckman said. “We managed to fight back, but in the end a day like today, it can be anybody’s game. That’s the great thing about baseball, man, one swing can win it for anybody.”