Sandite Baseball drops first loss to Sunrise Mountain

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Joey Montgomery, who has played catcher most of the season, pitched his first game of the year Monday afternoon in Phoenix.

Story by: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Sandite streak came to an end in Phoenix, Arizona Monday afternoon as the previously undefeated Charles Page High School varsity baseball team (4-1) was shut out 7-0 by Sunrise Mountain (9-5) of Peoria, Arizona.

The Sunrise Mountain Mustangs exploded for five runs in the first inning and Sand Springs was unable to recover from the heavy early deficit.

Treyce Tolbert singled in the top of the first but Jake Ward grounded out on a double play to second base. Joey Montgomery (0-1) pitched all six innings for the Sandites. He walked Hunter Lessard, pitched a single to Michael Herrera, and walked Kyler Riordan to load the bases. Treyce Tolbert caught out Lucas Wall in center field, but Nick Brauns batted in Lessard on a single to take a 1-0 lead with the bases still loaded. Tyler Hill brought in Herrera with a single, then Grant Dowty doubled on a line drive to left field and scored Riordan, Brauns, and Hill. Tyler Pruitt flied out to Treyce Tolbert, Daniel Partida was hit by a pitch, but Dowty and Partida were left stranded as Lessard grounded out to Montgomery.

The next three innings were uneventful. The Sandites didn't get a single hit till Ty Fain singled in the top of the sixth. Fain was walked in the top of the third, Trevor Tolbert was walked in the fifth, but neither scored. 

Lessard grounded to third and reached first on an error by Hunter Greathouse and Riordan was walked in the bottom of the fourth, but both were stranded. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Brauns reached first on an error by Trevor Tolbert and was replaced by Albertson who stole second on a wild pitch, took third on a Dowty single, and stole home with Pruitt at bat. 

In the sixth, Partida was hit by a pitch and scored on a right field double by Riordan. Ward flied out to start the seventh. Montgomery was walked, then put out on a double play as Greathouse hit a line drive to short to end the game.