By Brad Hallier
After scoring just two runs on three hits through eight innings and down by six runs, the Hutchinson Monarchs had an eighth inning to remember Tuesday night at Hobart-Detter Field.
The Monarchs scored 11 times on eight hits in the pivotal bottom of the eighth, rallying for a 13-8 win over the Haysville Aviators.
Things looked bleak before the bottom of the eighth inning, after Haysville scored two runs and led 8-2.
The rally started with a Nicky Sackett double. He scored on Cooper Wesslund’s single. With one out, Jaden Gustafson hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Wesslund.
At that point, the Monarchs were down 8-4, had two outs and Brett Smajstrla on base. Things still looked bleak.
DJ Merriweather and Zerick Warren then walked, loading the bases and bringing the tying run to the plate. Sam Wiese was hit by a pitch, scoring Smajstrla and closing the gap to 8-5. Now, the go-ahead run was at the plate.
Blake Brown singled home Merriweather, and Warren scored on a Haysville error, making it an 8-7 game. After a Sackett walk, Wesslund’s two-run single gave the Monarchs the lead at 9-8.
The Monarchs weren’t done, as Gustafson and Merriweather added RBI singles.
Haysville tried to come back, putting two on with nobody out in the top of the ninth, but Reed Scott sat down the next three hitters, sealing the win.
Camden Cornelius earned the win after he finished the eighth inning by leaving the bases loaded.
The Monarchs are now 13-5 and will take on Haysville again at 7 p.m. today at Hobart-Detter Field.
