EJ remains perfect (07/08/04)

YORKTOWN — Even the rally monkey couldn’t save Yorktown.

The Yorktown baseball team tried the 2002 World Series Champion Anaheim Angels’ gimmick — they had a stuffed monkey in their home dugout — but still could not stop East Jay. The visiting team stayed perfect on the season, winning its 24th consecutive game with a 10-1 thumping of Yorktown in second-round tournament action.

East Jay sits just two victories away from an undefeated season. It will play either West Jay or Winchester in semifinal action at Wapahani High School Saturday at 10 a.m., with the championship game to follow at 3 p.m.

However, even with a perfect season looming, East Jay had other things to think about. Its main hope Wednesday was to simply play better after Monday’s closer-than-expected first-round tournament game against Monroe Central.

“I think the kids really responded,” said coach Randy Mann. “Monday night we came in and we didn’t look like the team that our record shows. I told the kids if they’re going to take it to the next level they have to come out here and perform every time they step on the field. They came out here and they showed that tonight.”

“We played way better, because we just about got beat by Monroe Central two days ago,” said catcher Adam Garringer. “We played our best today.”

Especially after the first inning.

East Jay posted a run in the top of the first inning as Billy Wellman singled and scored. But, it immediately surrendered the lead as starting pitcher Justin Mann struggled in the first frame.

Yorktown lead-off hitter Ricky Peters started with a single, and he scored on a two-out single by Nolan Hieston. As his team touted the rally monkey, Kyle Gibson added another single before Mann escaped the frame.

After a scoreless second inning by both teams, East Jay permanently silenced the Yorktown monkey mascot in the third and fourth.

Colton Lombardo got the rally started in the third inning with a leadoff single. He stole second base, then scored when Garringer reached first on an error by right fielder Bret Allison.

Mann followed with an RBI single to left center to bring Garringer home. He followed with a heads-up play, taking second and third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Kyle Simmons.

With his team already boasting a 4-1 lead, Phillip Powell started the fourth inning with a triple to center field. He scored on a wild pitch, and Dalton McGill quickly replaced him at third base with a walk and a couple of stolen bases.

Lombardo knocked a grounder to Peters at second base for what should have been the second out of the inning. However, Peters tried to cut down McGill at the plate.

McGill thwarted the effort as he slid in safely, and Lombardo reached first on the fielder’s choice.

Garringer immediately made Yorktown pay even more, ripping an RBI double to left field. He would complete the four-run frame by scoring on a wild pitch for an 8-1 lead.

East Jay added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings for the final margin.

Mann finished 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI on the day as the entire lineup got into the act. Seven different players scored, and six different players accounted for 10 hits.

Powell finished with two extra-base hits, adding a double in the seventh inning. Billy Wellman had two hits, including a double, and two runs, and Lombardo and Garringer also scored two runs apiece.

Randy Mann said it was good to see contributions from everyone.

“Phillip Powell is the one that sticks out in my mind,” he said. “Also, a couple of times we had the hit-and-run on. They did a real nice job of trying to get people around to score in that situation.”

While the offense found its groove, so did Mann on the mound.

He gave up a pair of two-out hits in the third inning, but escaped without allowing a run as Dave Owenby grounded out to Wellman at shortstop. That was all Yorktown would get.

The home team did not pick up another hit as Mann faced the minimum in the fourth and fifth innings. He hit a batter and walked one in the sixth, but came back to strike out John Miller and entice Spencer Matheny into a soft grounder to Powell at first base.

Then he turned it over to Michael Jobe, who struck out three batters in a scoreless seventh.

“I did all right,” said Justin Mann of the effort. “At the beginning I struggled. I calmed down (later in the game).”

East Jay may have been calm Wednesday, but if all goes well it could be hard for them to stay mellow late Saturday afternoon.

Justin Mann, Lombardo and Garringer all agreed it would be “awesome” to complete the season unbeaten with a couple of wins Saturday. And, they look forward to the big party which could follow such a feat.

As for the coach ...

“It would be nice,” Randy Mann said. “But, you’ve got to take one game at a time.”[[In-content Ad]]