By Brad Hallier
There doesn’t seem to be any letup with the Hutchinson Monarchs’ hitting at the NBC World Series.
The Monarchs continued their white-hot hitting in Thursday’s quarterfinal round, bashing 17 hits for the second time in four World Series games in beating the Lonestar Baseball Club out of Texas 11-1. The game ended after eight innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.
In the last 28 innings at the World Series, going back to the eighth inning in a 6-4, 11-inning win over the Hays Larks, the Monarchs have scored 40 runs. They have now won two games by mercy rule.
Sam Wiese led the Monarchs with four hits, including a double and home run. He scored three times and drove in three more runs. Jarrett Flaggert and Blake Bradford added three hits apiece, while Will Edmunson and Jaden Gustafson added two hits apiece.
The Monarchs broke a scoreless game in the top of the third inning, when Edmunson singled home Drew Bugner. Wiese scored on Bradford’s single the next inning pushing the Monarchs’ lead to 2-0.
Flaggert doubled the lead in the sixth inning with a two-run single, and Wiese answered a Lonestar run with an RBI single in the top of the seventh.
The Monarchs put the game away with a six-run eighth inning. Wiese’s three-run homer put the Monarchs in position to win by mercy rule.
Brady Beverman was the winning pitcher for the Monarchs, as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up a run on four hits.
The Monarchs will play in the 6 p.m. Friday semifinal, one win from their first NBC World Series championship appearance, against either league opponent Kansas Cannons or Five Tool Kraken (Texas).
Not bad for a team that started the season 5-12 and lost once 22-0. The Monarchs have since won 19 of 24.
