MONTICELLO - It took a team effort for the Ponies to come back from a three-run deficit to beat Pecatonica, 5-4, Thursday, giving Monticello sole possession of second place in the Six Rivers East.
"It was nice to get a close one, a comeback win," Monticello head coach Jason Pinnow said. "We've been doing that a lot lately, coming back and scoring runs late in games. We might not win them all, but it's good to see we have that fight in us."
Trailing 4-2 entering the bottom of the fifth, leadoff man Tyler Ritschard doubled to deep left center off Pecatonica starter Devin Jeglum. With one out, Trae Seffrood singled in a run. Corey McGowan, Tyler Meier and Chris Voegeli all walked, scoring the tying run with two outs.
"Devin has been injured most of the year with a partially torn groin muscle, so this is the longest he has thrown," Vikings head coach Jim Strommen said.
Jeglum's first pitch to Brett Hefty got past Pecatonica catcher Chris Kleppe and McGowan swiped home with a head-first slide.
"I think everybody had a really good approach tonight," Pinnow said.
Tannar Johnson came in from short to relieve Jeglum. A year ago as a sophomore, Johnson was the Vikings' first baseman, but after slimming down, he is finding space elsewhere in the field.
"When Devin's not at short, I really don't have a shortstop. Tannar is probably our next best glove. He does a good job for who he is," Strommen said. "He has a baseball mind and he's thinking throughout the game and you need a guy like that at short."
Johnson led off the seventh after getting hit by a pitch. With one out and a pinch runner on second, Chris Hendrickson hit a flair down the right field line. Voegeli dashed his way from second and sprawled out to make the catch.
"We preach those dead ball areas all the time and it's good to see it relate to the game. He made a great catch and then to have enough mind to get up and see where the runner was even great," Pinnow said.
After intentionally walking Ross Gilbertson, who Pinnow said has killed the Ponies this year, starting pitcher Corey McGowan gave up a bloop Texas leaguer to Kleppe.
"When I saw that ball hit, I thought it was routine to Lukas Kolasch. Then it started drifting and I got a little freaked out about it," Pinnow said.
The ball drifted right into left fielder Michael Elzen's glove as Kolasch dove past him, narrowly avoiding a collision.
McGowan allowed just one earned run on eight hits for Monticello. He added five strikeouts and two walks. Pecatonica (11-9, 5-5) scored three runs in the first, but only Jeglum's leadoff home run was earned.
"Devin hit a nice pitch down the middle. It was a good pitch, just right down the middle and he cranked it out," Pinnow said. "I think Cory got stronger on the mound as the game went on. The first inning they beat him up pretty bad."
Pecatonica added its fourth run in the third.
Monticello (9-8, 6-4), meanwhile, scored a run in the first on three Vikings errors. Ritschard scored another unearned run in the bottom half of the third to close the gap to 4-2.
Jeglum allowed five hits and three earned runs, striking out three and walking five.
"We play again tomorrow (today at Belmont). We have to have short-term memory," Strommen said.
"It was nice to get a close one, a comeback win," Monticello head coach Jason Pinnow said. "We've been doing that a lot lately, coming back and scoring runs late in games. We might not win them all, but it's good to see we have that fight in us."
Trailing 4-2 entering the bottom of the fifth, leadoff man Tyler Ritschard doubled to deep left center off Pecatonica starter Devin Jeglum. With one out, Trae Seffrood singled in a run. Corey McGowan, Tyler Meier and Chris Voegeli all walked, scoring the tying run with two outs.
"Devin has been injured most of the year with a partially torn groin muscle, so this is the longest he has thrown," Vikings head coach Jim Strommen said.
Jeglum's first pitch to Brett Hefty got past Pecatonica catcher Chris Kleppe and McGowan swiped home with a head-first slide.
"I think everybody had a really good approach tonight," Pinnow said.
Tannar Johnson came in from short to relieve Jeglum. A year ago as a sophomore, Johnson was the Vikings' first baseman, but after slimming down, he is finding space elsewhere in the field.
"When Devin's not at short, I really don't have a shortstop. Tannar is probably our next best glove. He does a good job for who he is," Strommen said. "He has a baseball mind and he's thinking throughout the game and you need a guy like that at short."
Johnson led off the seventh after getting hit by a pitch. With one out and a pinch runner on second, Chris Hendrickson hit a flair down the right field line. Voegeli dashed his way from second and sprawled out to make the catch.
"We preach those dead ball areas all the time and it's good to see it relate to the game. He made a great catch and then to have enough mind to get up and see where the runner was even great," Pinnow said.
After intentionally walking Ross Gilbertson, who Pinnow said has killed the Ponies this year, starting pitcher Corey McGowan gave up a bloop Texas leaguer to Kleppe.
"When I saw that ball hit, I thought it was routine to Lukas Kolasch. Then it started drifting and I got a little freaked out about it," Pinnow said.
The ball drifted right into left fielder Michael Elzen's glove as Kolasch dove past him, narrowly avoiding a collision.
McGowan allowed just one earned run on eight hits for Monticello. He added five strikeouts and two walks. Pecatonica (11-9, 5-5) scored three runs in the first, but only Jeglum's leadoff home run was earned.
"Devin hit a nice pitch down the middle. It was a good pitch, just right down the middle and he cranked it out," Pinnow said. "I think Cory got stronger on the mound as the game went on. The first inning they beat him up pretty bad."
Pecatonica added its fourth run in the third.
Monticello (9-8, 6-4), meanwhile, scored a run in the first on three Vikings errors. Ritschard scored another unearned run in the bottom half of the third to close the gap to 4-2.
Jeglum allowed five hits and three earned runs, striking out three and walking five.
"We play again tomorrow (today at Belmont). We have to have short-term memory," Strommen said.
