Northeast Takes 7A-15 Lead With 3-1 Win Over Monarch

Northeast and Monarch have developed quite the rivalry in their two seasons together in 7A-15. The Hurricanes and Knights have played several close games, the last of which resulting in mayhem late last year. On Thursday afternoon, the two rivals renewed acquaintances with the district lead on the line.

Ralph Morel was the star of the day for the Hurricanes, throwing a complete game and going 2-for-4 at the plate as Northeast earned the victory 3-1. Morel had the Monarch hitters off-balance for much of the game.

“We prepared all week for this game,” said Morel. “This is a big rival, and we knew what this game meant in the district. To come in here and win one on the road, with a home game tomorrow against these guys, feels good.”

All of the scoring in this one came in the third inning. Northeast had three hits and a walk during a three-run rally. Vishesh Swaroop and Morel had doubles in the inning, while Eduardo Uriarte also added a walk and a run.

That would be all the Hurricanes could muster in the game off Knights starting pitcher Anthony Morales.

“Their pitcher threw a great game,” said Knights Manager Joe Franco. “He threw strikes, their defense made plays behind him, and they came up with a couple big hits. We just have to tip our hat to them, clean some things up, and get ready to play again tomorrow.”

Due to a rain out earlier in the year, the Knights and Hurricanes had to reschedule their second game against each other for Friday. That means by the end of the night Friday, the two teams will have a much clearer picture of how the district seeding will wind up. If Northeast wins, they will be the top seed come playoff time. A Monarch win would leave the teams tied, with a coin flip determining the top seed. Eiether way, both teams know the significance of tomorrow’s rematch.

“We wanted to make sure our pitching was lined up coming into these two games, and Ralph’s performance today really helped us out,” said Hurricanes Manager Kevin Carney. “He was able to go the distance, saving us some arms for tomorrow, so that was big. We played very well today, and I hope we can carry it over into tomorrow.”

The game Thursday was not without drama. Monarch threatened several times, but base-running mistakes cost the Knights in several innings. In the sixth, the Knights put runners on first and third with one out, but again base-running blunders kept Monarch off the scoreboard.

Northeast moved their record to 5-1, 4-0 in the district, and while some may be surprised by the hot start, the Hurricanes players are not.

“We expect to win games,” said Morel. “This whole season we’ve come out with energy every game, and we expect to play well. We can’t get too high though, we have another big game tomorrow. We just need to stay focused and play like we did today. We’ll have our home crowd behind us, so hopefully that will help also.”

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