Village Christian Stages Giveaway : First-Place Montclair Prep Benefits From 6 Errors in 8-3 Victory

When asked what he thought of his team’s 8-3 defeat at the hands of Montclair Prep on Friday night, Village Christian Coach Mike Henzie responded with a Bronx cheer.

“It was the worst defensive game we’ve played all year,� Henzie said after his team made six errors and allowed four unearned runs. “When you play the first-place team, you don’t want to beat yourself.�

But the Crusaders didn’t entirely beat themselves; they got ample help from the Mounties, who knocked the ball all over Bluebird Field, performing like the Alpha League’s version of the Bronx Bombers.

Leading the barrage was Montclair Prep’s Pat Huston, who had three hits. His three-run home run in the third inning gave the Mounties a 5-0 lead and a firm head start in a win that kept them alone in first place.

Montclair Prep Coach Walt Steele, however, said his team can hit better.

“We hit about .390 as a team,� Steele said. “Hitting is our forte. Tonight we had only eight hits. We can hit better than that.�

The Mounties (9-8-1, 6-1 in league play) didn’t really need much more than that. Pitcher Chris Anderson (3-1) put together an impressive complete game, striking out four and walking two.

“On two days’ rest, I didn’t have too much on the ball,� Anderson said. “But I was putting the ball in good places.�

While Anderson controlled the Crusaders, he let his offense take over--and Village Christian’s defense take off.

The Crusaders committed two infield errors immediately before Huston’s three-run home run, then made three more errors in a three-run sixth inning that gave Montclair Prep an 8-1 lead.

The errors helped saddle Matt Bates (1-2) with the defeat. He allowed eight hits and two walks and struck out three.

The Crusaders (9-6-1, 3-3-1) scored single runs in the sixth and seventh to close out the scoring.

Of Montclair Prep’s eight hits, three went for extra bases. Keyaan Cook and Brent Polacheck, who had two hits and an RBI, each stroked doubles.

But the hitting didn’t impress Steele. The pitching did.

“We needed good pitching this week,� he said. “I thought we’d have our hands full with Village Christian and Chris threw really well tonight.�

The Mounties have won four league games in a row.