Indians roll up 22

By Dustin Kent

Published: May 24, 2008

The Chipola Indians began their quest for a second straight national title Saturday against Connors State in Grand Junction, Colo.

If the Indians play as well the rest of the tournament as they did Saturday, a second straight national championship may be a formality.

Chipola hammered Connors State pitching for 22 runs and 19 hits in a 22-2, six-inning win to advance to Monday’s second round against the winner of Walters State and Alvin at 3 p.m. local time.

The Indians got six runs in the first inning and a whopping 15 in the sixth inning courtesty of a pair of grand slams by Tyler Bumgarner and Brett Maxwell.

Moises Montero led the Indians with three hits, two home runs and five RBI.

Ryan Chaffee also drove in three runs to compliment the eight total driven in by Bumgarner and Maxwell.

Chris Berroa reached base three times and scored three runs, while Carlos Moncrief, Marc Bourgeois, Adam Duvall and Montero all crossed the plate three times as well.

Chipola hitters stunningly reached base in 34 of their 51 plate appearances on the day.

It was a thoroughly dominating offensive effort from the defending national champs.

“We played really well,” Chipola coach Jeff Johnson said after the game. “The kids came in with a lot of composure, played loose and got a big lead. It was a great day for us.”

Drew Parker was strong on the mound for Chipola, though he hardly needed to be on this day.

Parker gave up one run on five hits in five innings, while striking out four and walking just one.

“Drew Parker is just a warrior,” Johnson said. “He throws as hard as he has to to get people out, competes and is not scared of anything.”

The Indians were able to to get Parker out of the game after just 54 pitches, a pretty light workload which Johnson compared to typical bullpen work.

“It’s good because we’re going to have to have him go back out there at some point for us to win this.”

The Indians’ offense gave Parker a six-run cushion before the sophomore threw his first pitch of the day.

After Berroa and Einar Atencio drew walks off of Connors State starter Shane Cameron, Carlos Moncrief came up with an RBI single for the first Chipola run of the game.

Montero then followed with the first of his two home runs on the day, this one a three-run shot to put the Indians up 4-0.

A two-run single by Chaffee to score Duvall and Bourgeois completed the inning.

Chaffee added a solo shot in the third inning to make it 7-0, as Parker rolled through the first four innings without surrendering a run.

Connors State added a run in the fifth, but the Indians would very quickly squash any notion of a comeback in the sixth.

A walk to Moncrief, followed by Montero’s second deep blast of the game made it a 9-1 Chipola lead.

The Indians then loaded the bases for Connors State reliever Jacob Wenaas, who beaned Duvall to bring home the 10th Chipola run.

A walk to Berroa made it 11-1 and chased Wenaas in favor of Jim Miner.

Unfortunately for Miner, his luck was no better, as he quickly surrendered a grand slam to Bumgarner, who was in the Indians’ lineup due to starter Jordan Lucas being ill, to make it 15-1.

Duvall came through with a two-run triple later in the inning for a 17-1 advantage and Bourgeois drove him in to make it 18-1.

That set the stage for another Connors State pitching change and another Indians grand slam.

It was Jimber Mueses who was called in this time to put out the fire, but the Indians, again, would not comply.

Consecutive walks loaded the bases for Maxwell, another Indians bench player, who sent one of Mueses’ deliveries over the fence to score four.

“We hit the ball really hard and some of those (home runs) would get out of any park,” Johnson said, referencing the the high-altitude, homer-friendly confines in Grand Junction.

“We stung the ball pretty good. The balls do fly out of here. I’m glad they were flying out for us today.”