NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – A four-run fourth inning by Pasco-Hernando in the opener and a seven-run second inning by Hillsborough in the nightcap proved to be the difference Monday (March 7) in a pair of hard-fought setbacks for the Monarchs. In game one, the Monarchs held the lead twice, but a four-run fourth inning for Pasco-Hernando propelled the host Bobcats to a 9-5 victory. In the latter contest, Hillsborough posted seven runs in the second inning in a game the Monarchs lost by an 8-0 final tally.
The pair of setbacks drops the Monarchs record to 0-4 on the young season as they continue one of the toughest schedules any junior college has across the country.
GAME ONE: Pasco-Hernando 9, Macomb 5 (9-inning game)
The Monarchs jumped on top 1-0 in the first and went ahead by as many as two runs in the third with a 3-1 advantage, but the lead was short-lived as the Bobcats posted a four-run fourth inning to take a 7-3 lead. The four-run inning was the difference in the opener as the Bobcats held on to the lead for good in the 9-5 decision.
After scoring one run over their first two games, the Monarchs' bats got going in game three of the season to post five runs on seven hits.
Logan Rybarczyk (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) and
Brady Zabawa (Commerce, Mich./Milford) accounted for four of the team's seven hits, while
Jack Lyndrup (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North) recorded a team-high two RBI with a hit and a walk. Rybarczyk went 2-for-2 with a run batted in, a run scored, a stolen base and three walks, and Zabawa was 2-for-4 on a pair of singles.
Reese Rinna (Richmond, Mich./Richmond) and
Harrison Ryan (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North) also had a hit each for the Monarchs.
On the mound, freshman right-handed pitcher
Ryan Polega (Macomb, Mich./Henry Ford II) made the most of his first appearance in a Monarch uniform. The freshman came on in relief and made an immediate impact, tossing four innings of two-hit ball. Polega struck out one and was not charged with an earned run in an impressive debut for the Blue & White.
GAME TWO: Hillsborough 8, Macomb 0 (7-inning game played at Pasco-Hernando)
The bats went quiet in game two as
Griffin Baalaer (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North) and
Harrison Ryan had a hit each to account for the Monarchs' two hits in the 8-0 defeat. Defensively, the Monarchs did not commit an error and with the help of steady pitching held a high-octane Hillsborough offense scoreless over the game's final four innings.
A seven-run second inning by Hillsborough separated the teams in an otherwise tight game. Much like
Ryan Polega in Monday's opener,
Jadon Hill (Macomb, Mich./Armada) was tasked with coming in to settle things down and the freshman right-handed pitcher did just that in his college debut. Hill came on in the second inning and went on to post five strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings pitched and only surrendered one run to cap off a day where two freshmen enjoyed strong debuts on the mound for the Monarchs.
