This was, without question, a complete team effort turned in by the Merchants, the type coach James Kinder has been waiting for since the start of the 2009 season.
Now, cumulatively, the Merchants have played respectable baseball to this point, and nobody is calling for a sense of urgency. But in order for the Merchants to repeat as district champions and make another run at the state tournament, Kinder would like to see more consistency from his team.
Wednesday’s 11-1 win over East Newton — played in front of a lively crowd at Carl Lewton Stadium — was a step in the right direction for the Merchants, who improved to a season-high eight game over .500 and 6-1 in the district.
There was Tadd Wagner’s solid outing, backed by sparkling defense and a 12-hit attack. But it was the little things executed by the Merchants that made Kinder and the coaching staff ecstatic.
“We pitched and played defense,” said Kinder, who used to teach and coach at East Newton. “We did the little things right tonight.”
Situational hitting, a pair of exceptional defensive plays by Josh Collins, and a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Joe Allan. This effort added up to the Merchants most complete victory of the season.
“I think we’re going out and having more fun,” said Caleb Fierro, who leads the Merchants with four home runs. “We’re hitting the ball a lot better.”
Fierro, by the way, hit his fourth long ball of the season in the top of the fifth inning with one out and the bases loaded against reliever Ty Harris, who replaced starter Taylor Spencer after the fourth. Fierro’s grand slam was the knockout blow, so to speak, to East Newton’s chances of a comeback.
“Since I’ve been (batting fourth in the lineup), I’ve seen a lot of better pitches,” said Fierro, who has connected for two slams this season.
Wagner, forced to make a lot of pitches early, limited East Newton to only one run, which came in the first inning. Mason Whitmann, who reached on a one-out single, came around to score on Clayton Miller’s RBI single.
Despite throwing 36 pitches in the first two innings, including a 12-pitch at bat by Dwayne McBride, Wagner didn’t allow another runner to reach second base for the rest of the game.
“We played good defense,” said Wagner. “We just didn’t make good plays, we made exceptional plays.”
Wagner, who had an RBI single in the third, struck out three and permitted only one walk in five innings. He also pitched out of trouble in the first and second, while the Merchants built a sizeable lead.
“I can’t say enough about Tadd,” said Kinder. “Tadd, like Levi (Snyder) on Monday, pitched a great game. When you receive solid starting pitching, everything else falls into place.”
Fierro and Wagner came through with RBI singles in the third to help give the Merchants a 4-1 lead. Singles from Dalton Cossey and Snyder put two runners on with nobody out in the fourth. Stephen Poston followed with his sixth triple of the season, scoring Cossey and Snyder. Stephen Poston easily scored on Brain Poston’s two-out single to right field.
East Newton, which mustered only three hits against Wagner, had two runners reach base after the first inning. And Miller, with a pair of singles, was the only player to finish with two hits.
“We were out of position a few times,” said Seth Johnson, East Newton head coach. “Outside of that, I thought our kids played well against a quality team. We’ve dealt with some adversity over the past two weeks, and the kids have stepped up.”
Fierro’s slam in the fifth gave him six RBIs, while Cossey and Snyder finished with two hits each.
“Caleb is a player,” quipped Kinder. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
Mason Siebert takes the mound at 5:30 p.m. today, as the Merchants (16-8 overall) open play in the Pryor (Okla.) Tigers Summer Classic in Vinita, Okla. The Rockets, now 3-6 and 2-5 in District 15 play, face Carl Junction at 6 p.m. today at home.
NOTES After afternoon showers hit the Granby area, the Carthage Merchants and East Newton Rockets decided to relocate to Carthage for Wednesday's District 15 baseball game.
