FARMINGTON, New Mexico – A special night at Ricketts Park quickly turned into an agonizing morning for the Connie Mack World Series host Strike Zone Baseball.
The opening night of the 50th American Amateur Baseball Congress Connie Mack World Series was full of special moments, from the delivery of the game ball from a team of sky divers to the CMWS Hall of Fame indicutions of Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin to a dazzling fireworks show. But it was the primetime game between the CMWS host team Strike Zone Baseball of Farmington, New Mexico and the 13-time champion Midland Redskins – the team Griffey and Larkin wore jerseys for in the 1980s – that stole the show.
Following an opening ceremony that lasted well over an hour, the two teams didn’t begin play until after 9 p.m. Strike Zone shocked Midland by claiming an early 2-0 lead, but Midland rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game before winning 3-2 in walk-off fashion in extra innings in a game that ended at 12:33 a.m.
“It was a fun game. It didn’t go our way this time, but those games are always fun to play in,” said Durango High School’s Casey Dunlap, one of six players from La Plata County on the Strike Zone roster. “It was a battle the whole time; it just didn’t work out in our favor.”
Strike Zone got on the scoreboard first in the top of the third inning. Dunlap drew a one-out walk, and Bayfield’s Matthew Knickerbocker followed with a single to put two runners on base. Farmington’s Austin Davis drew a walk to load the bases, and Farmington’s Lance Lee came through with a two-out single to score both Dunlap and Knickerbocker. Strike Zone put up both runs against Midland pitcher Alex Lange, an LSU commit.
“We were playing in a lot bigger environment than we ever have and against a really good ballclub,” Dunlap said. “We were nervous, but I think we were ready to play, and we were excited to get out on the field.”
Strike Zone played flawless defense behind starting pitcher Justin Phillips, who got Midland hitters to roll over his breaking pitches for easy groundouts all night. Dunlap was a machine at second base, making every play look easy.
But it was a costly error by Durango’s Isiah Mayberry in the bottom of the seventh that gave Midland life. Just three outs from upsetting the favorites to win this year’s CMWS, Phillips got designated hitter Zach Shannon to strike out on a curveball, but Mayberry couldn’t hang on to the ball, forcing a throw down to first base on a dropped third strike. Mayberry saw his throw go over the first baseman’s head and into right field, allowing Shannon to get all the way to second base. Jeren Kendall followed with a softball infield single to give Midland runners on the corners with nobody out. Ty Duvall then drove Shannon home on a groundout to shortstop, and nine-hole hitter Liam Sabino delivered a single that scored Kendall to tie the game.
The error was an unfortunate blemish for Mayberry, who threw out two runners trying to steal second base and also applied a perfect tag at home plate, as Strike Zone cut down a run in the fifth inning.
“He’ll bounce back from it. That’s not like him to make that error, but stuff happens,” Dunlap said of Mayberry, his former teammate at Durango High School.
Strike Zone spoiled a few chances at the plate in extra innings before Midland walked off a winner in the ninth. Brandon Montgomery delivered a bases-loaded shot off the left field wall to easily score Kendall to give Midland the 3-2 win.
La Plata County accounted for four of the nine Strike Zone starters Friday night. Dunlap was 0-for-4 with a walk, one run and three strikeouts. Knickerbocker went 1-for-5 with a run and three strikeouts; Isiah Mayberry was 1-for-4 with a single and Lawrence Mayberry was 0-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt and two strikeouts. In all, Strike Zone struck out 14 times and accumulated only eight hits.
Strike Zone dropped into the loser’s bracket where they will face the Danville Hoots of California in an elimination game at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Dunlap said the team will bounce back and fight with everything it has, and Knickerbocker said the team is more than prepared to fight out of the bottom of the bracket.
“The whole summer, we’ve worked really hard,” said Knickerbocker, son of Kirk and Marie Knickerbocker. “Blood, sweat, tears and everything in between. We’ve had rough times and really good times. That’s what makes a team a really good team.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
