Thanks to deft pitching, timely hitting and some nice defensive plays, the Montezuma-Cortez High School baseball team opened its season with a 4-0 home victory over Olathe on March 16.
Leading the way for the Panthers was junior Jasen Engel, who started on the mound for the Panthers and struck out 10 batters while pitching four innings of no-hit baseball. The junior also enjoyed a nice day at the plate, slugging one triple and driving in three runs.
“I felt great,” said Engel, who relied on a lively fastball mixed with occasional off speed pitches to keep hitters off balance. “It was the first game of the season, and I didn’t have any fatigue on my arm.”
The key moment of the game for M-CHS came in the bottom of the first inning, when Engel stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and fouled off several pitches before crushing a long fly ball into the left centerfield gap.
While Olathe outfielders raced toward the wall to corral the well-struck hit that landed just short of the fence, Coby Baer, Caleb Compton, and Cutter Mathews crossed home plate and Engel eased into third as the Panthers took a 3-0 lead.
“I was down 0-2, so I battled and I was looking for my pitch,” Engel said. “I wasn’t trying to do anything except get on base, and I was able to get a pitch I could drive.”
After Engel’s opening-inning blast, both teams remained scoreless for several innings thanks to solid pitching from Engel and Olathe starter Keenan Mansker, who each mowed down opposing hitters with ease.
Although the Panthers showed signs of life in the fourth inning when Cordell Baer and Kale Hall drove consecutive one-out singles to right field and advanced to second and third base on a wild pitch, Alec Trennepohl struck out and Caleb Yoder grounded out to end the frame.
With his Panthers leading by three runs entering the fifth inning, Caleb Compton replaced Engel the mound at the behest of manager Tim Passell, who said that the pitching change was made for the purpose of preserving his players’ arms.
The change quickly paid dividends as Compton struck out three consecutive Olathe batters after walking Matthew Hale to begin the inning. Compton then retired three consecutive batters in the sixth inning before M-CHS extended its lead to 4-0 on an RBI single by Hall.
With the game still hanging in the balance, Compton hit two batters in the final inning before registering consecutive strikeouts and forcing Brenden Cryer to fly out to right field to end the game.
“Those last couple outs, I was just trying to focus,” Compton said. “My arm was feeling strong and I had good wrist action on my fastball. That’s mainly what got me through.”
“I definitely liked our pitching,” added Passell. “Jasen Engel came out and he didn’t give up any hits. Caleb (Compton) was also strong. Both guys did great and I think that the work that (catcher) Coby Baer does behind the plate is amazing.”
The Panthers will next play at home against Cedaredge in the opening round of the Cortez Tournament on March 17.