SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
WICHITA, Kan. — The Hutchinson Monarchs made history on Saturday evening at Eck Stadium, winning the National Baseball Congress World Series championship for the first time in program history. The Monarchs defeated the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Foresters, 6-3 to claim the title.
The win snapped the Foresters' 20-game winning streak in the world series, which dated back to 2019, and spanned three consecutive NBCWS titles.
Monarchs starting pitcher Cole Toureau (HutchCC) set the tone early on and kept the Foresters in check throughout the night, going 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, six hits, six strikeouts and no walks.
Will Edmunson (HutchCC) broke a scoreless game with a two-run double in the fifth inning, scoring Jarrett Flaggert (Wichita State) and Caleb Cotton (Sam Houston State). Flaggert reached to lead off the inning on an error, while Cotton reached on a one-out single to right.
The Monarchs plated two more in the sixth inning on a pair of two timely hits. Cooper Harris (Wichita State) drove in Jaden Gustafson (Wichita State) on an RBI double. Flaggert then doubled home Harris to extend the lead to four.
The Foresters scored their lone run in the seventh inning, and it looked like it could have been more damage done. Toureau worked around runners at first and third with one out with a pop out and a strikeout to end the inning, which left Toureau leaving the mound with a fist pump and a 4-1 lead.
After Max Buettenback (Nebraska signee) doubled with two outs in the seventh inning, Gustafson homered to center field to ignite the crowd and push the lead to five, 6-1.
Santa Barbara scored two in the top of the eighth inning on a couple of hits to cut the Monarchs lead to three, 6-3.
Alec Stanfield (New Mexico) followed up Toureau in the eighth inning and allowed three baserunners, forcing the Monarchs to go to the bullpen once again. Derick Johnson (HutchCC) struck out the lone batter he faced in the eighth, stranding two Foresters.
Reed Scott closed the door in the ninth, retiring the Foresters in order to earn the save.
The Foresters were led offensively by Max Belyeu (Texas), who went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Flaggert was the lone Monarch hitter with multiple hits, going 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI.
The Monarchs end the season with a 26-17 record. Hutchinson had a rough start to the season, going 7-11 in the month of June. Since the all-star break in the first week of July, the Monarchs have been scorching hot. The Monarchs finished 6-0 in the NBC World Series, and won seven straight games to end the season. The Monarchs also won 12 of its last 14 games.
Santa Barbara end their season with a 35-11 record, and saw their 10-game winning streak come to a close with the loss.
Congratulations to Monarchs owner/general manager Marc Blackim and his wife, Kim, as well as first-year manager Casey Lippoldt.
Santa Barbara - 000 000 120 - 3 7 2
Hutchinson - 000 022 20x - 6 8 0
W: Toureau (1-0). L: Turnquist (0-1). S: Scott (2).