By Scott Roblin

Graduating Monarchs celebrate final home game with victory over Missoula

Jul 15, 2018 | 9:32 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It was an emotional game on and off the ball diamond for eight members of the Medicine Hat ‘AA’ Moose Monarchs on Sunday afternoon.

The Monarchs held their annual ‘Senior Recognition Game’ at Jeffries Field against the Missoula Mavericks in the team’s final home game of the season.

Before the game, Monarchs veterans in Will Sharpe, Tyran George, Theryn Berndt, Ethan Loran, Dylan Koenig, Braydon Pudwell, Jack Suhai, and Cavan Kolody all received commemorative plaques for their time with the organization.

On the field, Medicine Hat fell into a 3-0 hole to Missoula in the first inning and were trying avoid a three-game weekend sweep at the hands of the Mavericks.

Medicine Hat started to turn things around in the bottom of the first, with Suhai doubling with two out to score fellow pending graduate Pudwell to put the Monarchs on the board.

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In the second inning, Medicine Hat was able to tie up the game at 3-3 after an RBI double from Loran and a sacrifice fly courtesy of Zach Stark.

Suhai continued his excellent afternoon at the plate with another RBI single to score Kolody from second base and give Medicine Hat their first lead at 4-3.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the fourth inning, as Suhai, Wyatt Bergen, and Tory Nelson all drove in runs for the home side to increase their lead even more.

Missoula added a run in the fifth to make it a 9-5 ballgame, but the Monarchs quickly converted off two Mavericks errors and a wild pitch to grow their lead to 12-4.

After Loran grounded out in the sixth inning to score a run and make it 13-4, Kolody came through with an RBI single to cash Felix Miller and call the game at 14-4 for the Monarchs.

Loran said it was a huge weight off their shoulders avoiding the sweep from Missoula, especially with the ‘AA’ state championship right around the corner.

“That’s a team that was one win away from the [American Legion] World Series last year,” said Loran. “They’re good, that’s a good team, middle of the pack right now and we needed a huge win today. And, to do it in front of the fans on the graduation day is just a big deal.”

Suhai and Bergen led the way with three RBIs each, while Ethan Boutkan earned the victory on the bump by pitching a complete game with four earned runs allowed on six hits.

Swarmed after he guaranteed the victory for Medicine Hat, Kolody gave all the credit to his teammates for putting him in that situation.

“It felt good for sure,” said Kolody. “I mean, guys set the table for you to do your job.”

Following the contest, graduating players and their families gathered to soak in the last appearance in a Monarchs jersey in the ‘Gas City.’

Both Loran and Kolody looked back fondly on their time with the Monarchs, but are still focused for the task at hand in the coming weeks.

“My brother played two or three years with them,” said Loran. “To be on the Monarchs my last year is really big, feels really good.”

“It’s been huge,” said Kolody. “You learn so many things, not just about baseball but life in general.”

The Monarchs head to Montana next weekend for games against the Butte Miners and Billings Scarlets, before they kick off the ‘AA’ state championship on July 28 in Kalispell, Montana.