NORTON SHORES – Mona Shores pitcher Bryson Belanger probably didn’t expect to face such a high-pressure situation so early in the season.
But he handled it like a good closer does, by keeping his poise and getting out of a serious jam.
His Sailors were clinging to a one-run lead with one out in the top of the seventh on Wednesday, in the season opener against Montague.
There were runners on first and second, and Montague’s Nick Moss hit a grounder back to the mound, which should have led to a game-ending double play.
But Belanger had trouble deciding where to throw the ball, and the play ended with all three runners safe. Suddenly Mona Shores faced a bases-loaded situation with its narrow lead in serious jeopardy.
[1]Then Belanger bore down and struck out Aidan Buchberger, then coaxed a game-ending grounder from Colton Blankstrom, allowing Mona Shores to escape with an exciting 3-2 victory in non-conference baseball action on its home field.
“I just had to stick through it,” Belanger said. “I knew I was going to get through it. I just knew I had to stay dialed in and just throw strikes and let the game play out the way it would.”
While it’s far too early in the season for any team to get too excited, Mona Shores coach Brandon Bard has to be encouraged about what he saw from his pitching staff in Wednesday’s opener.
Junior starter Jaxon Hoffman pitched a terrific game, allowing only three hits while striking out nine and walking none in four innings of work.
Hoffman only encountered a bit of trouble in the fourth inning, when he allowed a pair of one-out singles to Blankstrom and Hayden McDonald. Then he bore down and got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning, and his day, without giving up a run.
“Jaxon is going to be one of the best around, by far,” Bard said. “We’ve known for a while about the talent he’s had, and he’s a phenomenal kid with a great work ethic. I’m excited to see, when the weather warms up, where he’s going to be at.”
[2]Reliever Trevor Cunningham, a freshman left-hander pitching in his first varsity game, tossed the fifth and sixth innings, and faced two batters in the seventh. He allowed two hits and two walks while striking out three.
He started out rough, allowing a walk to Chase Gowell and a double to Kade Johnson in the fifth, but then got out of serious trouble by retiring Moss on an RBI sacrifice fly and coaxing Buchberger into a groundout to end the inning.
Cunningham struck out two batters and gave up no runs in the sixth.
Belanger, the closer, entered the game in the top of the seventh with two runners on and nobody out. He struck out Johnson before giving up an RBI single to Tate Stine, then loaded the bases with his indecision on the grounder to the mound.
But Belanger showed his poise by getting the next two batters with his right-handed submarine style of pitching, which is rarely seen at the high school level.
[3]“We’ve got some really good depth at the pitching position,” said Bard, who added that Jason Anderson, Landon Thalman and Javanni Johnson will also play key roles on the mound this season. “This team is also going to be pretty special offensively, too.”
Mona Shores got two runs in the first inning on an RBI triple from Aaron Piasecki that scored Mark Konecny, and a Montague error that allowed Piasecki to score.
The Sailors added their final run in the fourth inning when Anderson drew a two-out walk, advanced to second on another walk, then scored when Thalmon hit a pop-up single to right field.
Piasecki finished with two hits and one RBI, while Anderson, Thalman and Diego Pena each had one hit.
Moss and Stine each had a hit and one RBI for Montague while Johnson and Tugg Nichols each had one hit.
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