A disastrous sixth inning turned Grand Street’s potential season’s-best victory into a hard-to-swallow defeat.
Grand Street’s comfortable three-run lead over James Monroe quickly soured into a gut-wrenching 6–5 defeat in the quarterfinals of the Monroe baseball tournament in the Bronx on April 28. The defense dropped the ball, the team’s coach said.
“We had them, and our defense let us down in that bottom of the sixth inning,” said Wolves coach Melvin Martinez. “I just don’t want to lose in the league season when it really, really counts.”
The Wolves allowed just one hit in the frame – a leadoff single by eighth hitter Henry Heredia – but committed three costly errors on routine plays that led to four James Monroe runs.
“It’s a learning experience,” Michigan-bound catcher Marcus Chavez said. “It hurts, but I’d rather it happen now than in the playoffs.”
Grand Street led 4–0 after two innings, and Wolves starter Jose Perez limited Monroe — one of the city’s best lineups — to just two runs over the first five frames. He got a huge double play with the bases loaded to end the third and limited Monroe just one run that made it 4–2 before Andrew Hernandez came took the mound in the sixth.
“He was great,” Chavez said. “If our defense would have helped him, he would have been out of this game [with a win].”
The group struck a sober tone leaving its dugout. The young squad is still first in its division at 8–1 and had another of the city’s best programs on the ropes, but it could not finish the job.
It’s a lesson the Wolves hope pays dividends as the calendar turns to May and games become more and more important.
“It’s a heart breaker, but this why we join these tournaments,” Martinez said. “You play against good teams, get quality at-bats against quality teams.”
Grand Street led 4–0 after two innings, and Wolves starter Jose Perez limited Monroe — one of the city’s best lineups — to just two runs over the first five frames. The Wolves scored twice in the first on two bases-loaded walks as Monroe starter Andrew Pena struggled with his control. The Wolves added another run in the second thanks to an Angel De La Cruz RBI single to make it 4–0.
Hurler Perez kept his team ahead by educing a huge double play with the bases loaded to end the third. He limited Monroe just one run, which slimmed the lead to 4–2. The Wolves picked up one more in the fifth on a Jonathan Pens single, bringing the lead to 5–2.
Perez exited with two men on with no out in the sixth.
“He was great,” Chavez said. “If our defense would have helped him, he would have been out of this game [with a win].”
But consecutive infield errors helped Monroe haul in three runs in the sixth to tie the score at 5–5.
The group struck a sober tone leaving its dugout. The young squad is still first in its division at 8–1 and had another of the city’s best programs on the ropes, but it could not finish the job.
It’s a lesson the Wolves hope pays dividends as the calendar turns to May and games become more and more important.
“It’s a heart breaker, but this why we join these tournaments,” Martinez said. “You play against good teams, get quality at-bats against quality teams.”
