Munson?s record-breaking performance sinks No. 11 Vianney
April 21, 2011
Written by Mike Rosenbaum
ST. PETERS - After suffering their first two losses of the season last week, and seeing their reign as Prep Baseball Report?s No. 1 team in Missouri come to an end, No. 5 Francis Howell won their third game this week, defeating No. 11 Vianney 13-10 on Wednesday.
Down four runs headed into their final at-bat, the Vikings![""]("/Portals/34/Case)
made a dramatic comeback thanks to the heroics of 3B Case Munson, who turned in the best single-game offensive performance of the 2011 season. The senior, who was hitting .456 with seven home runs and 30 RBI headed into the contest, blasted three home runs and drove in nine runs, and sealed the victory with a walk-off grand slam.
Francis Howell (16-2) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, when Munson hit his first home run of the day, a two out shot to left field.
The score would stand until the top of the fourth, when Vianney (13-6) erupted for six runs on five hits, including a pair of two-run homers. After 2B Jake Walters doubled and 1B Ryan Barnes drew a walk to start the inning, CF Ryan Snyder ? who entered Wednesday?s game hitting .556 ? ripped an RBI double to centerfield to cut the Vikings? lead in half. Following an RBI sacrifice fly by RF Zach Knese, SS Nick Ulrich belted his fourth long ball of the year, a two-run home run to left. Two batters later, 3B Aaron Bossi capped Vianney?s impressive inning with a two-run shot of his own.
Francis Howell responded with one run in the bottom half of the inning, courtesy of a Munson solo shot, that made it a 6-3 game.
Vianney added a run in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Barnes to increase their lead to 7-3.
The Vikings? offense could not be silenced, however, as they came right back with three runs in the home half of the inning to pull within one run of Vianney. After 2B Brett Peel singled and CF Jake Ivory was hit by a pitch, Munson laced a two-run double with two outs and subsequently scored on an infield error.
The Griffins extended their lead to 10-6 with three more runs between the sixth and seventh innings, thanks in part to a host of wild pitches and a Howell defensive miscue.
But if there?s one thing that the Vikings have demonstrated this season, it?s that they are a team that possesses exceptional tenacity and confidence; a team that can never be considered out of a game, no matter how insurmountable their opponent?s lead may seem.
After shutting down the Vikings? offense in the sixth inning, things did not go quite as swimmingly in the bottom of the seventh for Vianney?s closer, RHP Teddy Rule.
With one out in the frame, C Gordie Dundaker, LF Jared Hagely, and SS Zac Perkins hit consecutive singles to load the bases. The next batter, RF Jacob Rhodes, worked a 10-pitch at bat before finally drawing an RBI walk.
Francis Howell leadoff man 1B Brett Graves cut the lead to 10-8 when he reached on an infield error that also allowed Hagley to score. After Rule struck out the next hitter, the Vikings found themselves down to their final out with the heart of the order coming to the plate.
After a walk to Ivory made it a one run game, Munson stepped to the plate with the opportunity to put the finishing touch on an already spectacular performance.
In an ending that couldn?t have been scripted, the senior did the unthinkable: crushing a walk-off grand slam well over the left field wall. The home run was Munson?s third of the game and tenth of the season, and capped a dramatic, seven-run comeback.
?Hitting that last one was a great feeling, but I couldn?t have done it without my boys behind me,? said a humble Munson. ?They were the ones who got on base and made it all possible, and it?s really a blessing to play with them.?
The Jefferson College commit finished 4-for-5 with three home runs and a double, and drove in a remarkable nine runs ? a school record according to Francis Howell head coach Tony Perkins ? with eight of them coming with two outs.
?The individual performance that Case Munson had?.I?ve never seen something like that in one game,? said Perkins. ?It was phenomenal.?
Ivory recorded the win for the Vikings, pitching the seventh inning and allowing one earned run on one hit. The University of Missouri-bound right-hander showcased a heavy fastball that sat at 84-86 mph and reached as high as 88 mph. At the plate, Ivory was 0-for-2, although he did score three runs and drive in a run.
Both Gundaker and Perkins finished the game 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Rhoades was 1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI.
?I told them that nobody can make the last out, and to pass it on to the next guy,? said Perkins of his message to his team headed into their final at-bat. ?Our hitters were really patient in the last inning. We had base hits the other way and up the middle, were hitting strikes, and laid off the pitches out of the zone.?
?They?re a quality team,? he said of Vianney. ?Last year they did the same thing to us, and our team wanted to be on the other side of it this season.?
?Vianney?s an awesome team and it was great to feel that intensity build throughout the game,? echoed Munson.
For the Griffins, Ulrich and Bossi both finished the game 2-for-3 with a home run, while Walters, Snyder, and LF Josh Giegling each collected two hits.
With the tough loss, Vianney falls to 13-6 and has now lost their last four games.