JJ Spafford hit a home run and had two of the Hutchinson Monarchs’ 12 hits Monday, as the Monarchs pulled away late for a 12-5 win over the Newton Rebels in Newton.
Spafford was one of five Monarchs to have two hits. Brice Wallar, Marcus Gradney, Michael Barham and Jackson Harding also collected a pair of hits.
The teams repeatedly answered each other through seven innings. Tied 1-1 in the fourth inning, the Monarchs scored four runs and led for good. Wallar and Barham had RBI singles in the inning.
Newton came back with two runs in its half of the fourth inning, making it a 5-3 game. Each team scored once in the fifth and sixth innings.
In the eighth inning, Spafford homered to left field, giving the Monarchs an 8-5 lead. They added four runs in the ninth inning. Harding delivered a two-run double, and Spafford followed with a two-run single.
Kale Day was the winning pitcher for the Monarchs, pitching two innings in relief. Vinny Jarrell pitched three shutout innings for the save.
The Monarchs improve to 11-6. They’ll return to action Wednesday, when they start the second half of the Jayhawk Collegiate League schedule by playing in Rose Hill against the Performance Factor Phenoms.
