Sound home win vs. Smoky Hill

By Neil H. Devlin, Mullen Sports Information Director
Mustangs beat Buffs 4-3.
In capping a 2-1 week that involved close games and improved play, Mullen may have been able to shake off its season-long, up-and-down tendencies as it heads into final rounds of the regular season.

The Mustangs’ 4-3 decision of Smoky Hill at Bill Swift Field came with front-line pitching, timely hitting and sound defense, traits first-year head coach Nick Arcuri has been yearning to see, particularly after the listless 17-2 debacle against Grandview.

“I think we’re finally getting to where we need to be,” he said as Mullen moved to 11-8 overall, 5-6 in the Centennial League.

It started on the mound as left-hander Jayden Mayoral was terrific before running onto a bit of trouble in the seventh inning. He retired the first 13 Buffaloes before walking a batter and giving up a game-tying, two-run home run. Lifted after giving up two singles to start the seventh – Michael Stanford recorded the save – Mayoral upped his record to 4-2.

“Everything was going right,” Mayoral said. “That home run … I just let it go. But we’re playing well right now.”

Mustangs catcher Evan Malloy said Mayoral “didn’t miss his spots. He was hitting everything on the corners and his curveball was moving. He kept (the Buffs) on their heels all day.”

Arcuri allowed that Mayoral “has come a long way. He was maybe a reliever to start the year, maybe.”

At bat, Mullen used two of Smoky Hill’s five errors along with a walk, a stolen base and a double by Alek Elges to take a 2-0 lead in the third. In the sixth, the rest of the Buffs’ miscues as well as a bunt single by Stanford and a single to right field by Brennen Nolte decided it.

And defensively, while one of Mullen’s errors led to a run, Michael Brady, who came into left field when Stanford moved from center to pitch, connected on a crisp relay with third baseman Stephan Loya, who fired to Malloy to nail the potential tying run at the plate in a bang-bang play.
Stanford then fanned a Buff and got a grounder to Jack Vitry at shortstop to end it.

Smoky Hill head coach Bob Kennedy, whos eteam is 9-9, 6-5, said the five errors “obviously hurt, but Mullen did what it had to do to beat us.”

The Mustangs were upbeat afterward as “we’re playing looser now, having fun with it and not playing tight,” Malloy said.

Arcuri concurred: “We’re playing pretty good baseball right now.“

Mullen enters the final full week of the regular season with a home game in league against Overland on Tuesday, 4:15 p.m.; a make-up game at Cherokee Trail in Aurora on Thursday, 4:15 p.m.; and the league finale on Saturday at Overland, Tony Schenbeck Field at Utah Park in Aurora.

However, forecasters are predicting weather problems, including rain, cold and snow, Tuesday through Thursday.

The Mustangs’ are slated for their 23rd regular-season game on May 13, 4L30 p.m., against Highlands Ranch in nonleague. Postseason parings are to be released on May 15.
 
MULLEN 4, SMOKY HILL 3
Smoky Hill 000 020 1  --  3  5  5
Mullen 002 002 x – 4  4  2
Smoky Hill – Kennedy cf 3-0-1-0, Ni. Ackerman ss 3-0-0-0, McKee 2b 3-0-0-0, Velasquez p 3-1-1-0, Grimble 3b 2-1-1-0, Pr. Cooper 1b 3-1-2-3, Kish lf 3-0-0-0, No. Ackerman rf 2-0-0-0, Fogo ph 1-0-0-0, Robles c 2-0-0-0. Totals 25-3-5-3.
Mullen – Loya 3b 3-1-0-0, Elges 2b 3-0-1-1, Naha lf-cf 2-0-0-0, Malloy c 3-0-0-0, Brady cr-lf 0-1-0-0, Stanford cf-p 3-1-1-0, Nolte dh 3-0-2-1, Vitry ss 3-0-0-0, Brickley rf 3-1-0-0, Perri 1b 1-0-0-0, Mayoral p 0-0-0-0. Totals 24-4-4-2.
E – McKee 2, Pr. Cooper, Velasquez 2, Malloy. LOB – Smoky Hill 2, Mullen 4. SB –Brickley, Kennedy.
2B – Elges. HR – Pr. Cooper, one on in fifth.
Batteries – Velasquez and Robles; Mayoral, Stanford (7) and Malloy. W – Mayoral. L –Velasquez. S – Stanford. T – 1:35.
 
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