SOLON, Ohio – Macomb Baseball opened its three-game set at Bryant & Stratton Ohio with a 6-4 victory over the host Bobcats Thursday (March 16) in Solon, Ohio. The win—the Monarchs second of the season—was a product of balanced team play as a trio of pitchers turned in solid performances while three other Monarchs recorded an extra-base hit in the two-run win.  

The 6-4 victory resulted in the Bobcats second loss of the season (5-2).

Logan Rybarczyk (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) lit the fire early as the sophomore outfielder/third baseman connected on a lined shot to center for a leadoff triple. The leadoff three-bagger was the first triple of Rybarczyk's career. Alex Mendes (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) was up next and did his job by bringing Rybarczyk home to give the Monarchs an early 1-0 lead.

The lead was short lived as the Bobcats tied it in the bottom of the first, but the Monarchs bounced back a half inning later when a hard hit ball by Jack Lyndrup (Macomb, Mich./L'Anse Creuse North) forced a Bobcats error and brought Tom Burt (Village of Clinton, Mich./Clinton) in from second base. Burt started the frame with a leadoff double, the Monarchs second leadoff extra-base hit in as many innings.

The hard hit ball by Lyndrup lifted the Monarchs in front, 2-1, midway through the second.

Two more runs would get added on in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 4-1, the first coming on an Adam Amodei (Mt. Clemens, Mich./Chippewa Valley) RBI that plated Burt and the latter on a Rybarczyk RBI that brought Ben Dillabough (Warren, Mich./Warren Mott) in to score.

The Bobcats posted two runs in the bottom of the fourth to get within one, 4-3, but the Monarchs responded once again on a Burt RBI that scored Joey Tedesco (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North/Hillsdale) to make it a two-run game at 5-3. A Bobcat run would tighten the game one more time in the home half of the fifth, but the Monarchs tacked on an insurance run in the seventh when a hard shot by Logan Ramsey (Warren, Mich./Warren Mott/Concordia-Ann Arbor) resulted in a hit and subsequent error that scored Mendes for the 6-4 final tally.

Pitching was strong throughout for the Monarchs as Jake Wohlfert (Hartland, Mich./Hartland) got the start and struck out five in 3 2/3 innings. Bryan Masterson (Roseville, Mich./Roseville) came on in relief and earned the win—his first of the season—after tossing 1 1/3 innings of one-hit ball and striking out two. Ryan VanSlambrouck (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) stepped onto the mound for the final two innings of work and was in command as the sophomore scattered two hits and struck out two to earn his first career save.

Burt paced a balanced offensive effort with two hits, including his second inning double, while Rybarczyk (triple) and Tedesco (double) also recorded extra-base hits in the win.

The Monarchs will close out their time in Ohio with a doubleheader against the Bobcats tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m.