Mingus Union High School has flexed its batting muscle so far this season, the latest instance coming in a 15-1 mercy rule win over Winslow High School on Thursday, March 1, during which it sewed 14 hits.
The Marauders [2-0] hit the ball hard all over the field, beating up on four Bulldogs’ pitchers across four innings of offense. Mental mistakes were made — one defensively that plated Winslow’s only run in the second inning — but the big bats painted over the hiccups.
“I think it was a good win. I think overall we played pretty well, we hit the ball pretty well,” Mingus first-year head coach Tim McKeever said. “We still had some baserunning errors and some mental breakdowns, but other than that, when you score 15 runs it’s a pretty good day, so I thought pitching was good, fielding was good and we really did hit the tar out of the ball.”
In last season’s home opener, senior shortstop Tyler Kelly hit a home run to lead off the game. Kelly nearly did it again, as the third batter, his hard line drive into the left center field fence scoring junior second baseman Chris Mathe for the team’s first run. Kelly tried scoring from second after a botched pickoff attempt, but tripped rounding third and was tagged at home plate.
Winslow’s lone run was borne from a rare play. Bulldogs right fielder Alec Williams was given first base after drilling a line drive into the umpire standing alongside the pitcher’s mound. Marauders senior first baseman Andrew Kulis made a smart play to eliminate the Bulldogs’ baserunner at second in a pickle, but Williams would score on the following play.
Mingus senior catcher Tyre Kim dropped senior pitcher Jordan Huey’s third strike and then compounded the mistake with another by attempting to throw out Williams at third. The ball went past junior third baseman Joe Machado, allowing Williams to reach home.
Machado immediately returned the lead in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff home run. Mingus went on to score four more runs to gain a 6-1 lead through a sacrifice fly by senior left fielder Jose Pacheco and two RBI doubles. During that stretch, though, was another mistake.
Marauders junior right fielder Justin Tanner took off on a fly ball without checking the outfield and was forced to return to second base. Mistakes like those are the ones McKeever said before the season would have to be eliminated, but are also not abnormal at the start of the season.
“Everybody knows better, but sometimes you kind of lose a little bit of focus, and that’s what we can’t do. We have to keep our focus for a full seven innings and get ready to go,” McKeever said.
Mingus tacked on three more runs in the third to lead 9-1, scoring one run on a wild pitch and another on a double by Huey. It finished the game off with a six-run fourth inning during which it batted through the lineup.
Tanner scored two runs on a double, junior center fielder Bradley Howard drilled a line drive off the fence for two more, and Mathe scored the final run on a single. All told, the Marauders had eight extra-base hits.
“The team, we’ve just been grinding, practicing our asses off and doing the best we can to make this our season,” Machado said. “For me it’s just showing out and showing the coaches what I can do as a junior.”
Huey pitched four innings, scattering three hits with no earned runs on six strikeouts and one walk. The lefty was missing low in the first inning and high in the second, before eventually settling in to throw first-pitch strikes at just more than half the batters he faced. Kelly closed the game, giving up one hit and striking out one.
“It was decent, it could’ve been better, but I just had the first-game jitters at home, it was a big crowd, just excited to play,” Huey said. “… Our pitching is going to be good all year, so we should be pretty good.”
Mingus will not return to Patterson Field until it plays a Grand Canyon Region doubleheader against Mohave High School at 1 and 3:30 p.m. March 13. Until then, the Marauders will be at the River Valley High School Route 66 Baseball Classic from March 8 to 10, before traveling to Saguaro High School for a 3:45 p.m. start on March 12.
