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R.A. Long catcher Tyler Hudson sets for an off-balance throw to end the third inning after Jesse Rice's bunt attempt for MM as pitcher Paul Harris looks on during Thursday's game at Roy Morse Park. Bill Wagner / The Daily News

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Jacks shake off cold, MM

Friday, March 28, 2008 6:21 AM PDT

By Ben Zimmerman

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R.A. Long players and coaches reached an understanding moments before the start of a crucial Greater St. Helens 2A League baseball showdown against Civil War rival Mark Morris at Roy Morse Park on Thursday.

“We agreed that once the game started, there would be not one mention of the cold,” Lumberjacks coach Jason Castro said. “Both teams had to abide the same (weather) conditions. I didn’t want to hear about it.”

Since he was making these comments after his team had secured a 7-2 victory, Castro had no problem breaking the pregame pact.

“It’s cold,” he said, grinning as his words turned to water vapor. “I can’t feel my face.”

Castro’s crew adhered to his instructions, showing “great intensity” and “staying focused,” he said.

“We fought through the weather conditions,” Castro said. “We battled.”

Which isn’t to say that the Monarchs did not. MM coach Joe Bair said the game was decided by mistakes, and that R.A. Long (4-2, 2-0 league) demonstrated its superior experience in taking advantage of a pile of errors by the defending league champs.

“They played like a very veteran team in critical situations, and we didn’t,” said Bair. “We didn’t make plays when we had to.”

Mark Morris (4-2, 2-1) suffered its first league loss since April 19, 2006 — a 7-3 setback against the Jacks at R.A. Long.

The rivalry resumes on April 8 when the Monarchs visit the Lumberyard in the next league game for both teams.

“For us, this was a big confidence builder,” Castro said. “But at the same time, we come right back and play ’em again, first game after spring break.”

By then, perhaps, Mother Nature will have found her calendar and whipped up some baseball weather.

On Thursday, it was unseasonably cold at the start of the game and grew downright arctic by the end, when the winds that buffet the west Longview valley began to howl in earnest. The starting pitchers, MM transfer Paul Harris for R.A. Long and Kyel Lambert for the Monarchs, dueled through four-plus scoreless innings before Harris was lifted for reliever Matt Ellis in the bottom of the fifth.

Lambert stuck around long enough to issue a single by Willie Kubin and misplay a sacrifice bunt attempt by Dane Cheatley to start the sixth. But like Harris, he was far from the mound when the game was decided.

Matt Minium replaced Lambert and issued a single to right field by Kyle Wika that scored Kubin. After a strikeout, Minium watched as back-to-back errors allowed Cheatley to score and Wika to advance to third.

Edwin Frauenfeld blooped a single over MM’s drawn-in infield to score Wika, and Carl Johnson milked a bases-loaded walk off Minium’s replacement, sophomore Brayden Poole, to force in a fourth run.

Poole, making his varsity debut, recovered to strike out two of RAL’s most dangerous hitters, Scott Pisapia and Kubin.

That bit of pitching — “Clutch,” Bair called it — looked to be pivotal when the Monarchs struck for two quick runs in the bottom of the inning.

Minium (3-for-3) doubled and scored on a one-out single by RAL transfer Joel Davis. Davis was forced home from third when Ellis walked Lambert, walked Zevin Burgin, and Frauenfeld walked Poole after replacing Ellis on the bump.

The Jacks broke the game open with a three-run seventh that was aided by, of all things, their own baserunning blunder. With one out, Wika singled to center and pinch-hitter Sam Barbee walked.

The Monarchs pulled the infield in after a wild pitch advanced both runners, and Kyle Helem hit a ground ball to short that Cole Lonborg knocked down and picked up immediately.

Wika froze several feet off the bag, but Barbee inexplicably galloped toward third base — forcing Wika to break for home. Longborg’s throw beat him there, but Wika collided with the catcher, Bergin, and knocked the ball loose, scoring and allowing Barbee to scoot home behind him.

With two outs, Johnson’s infield single scored Helem for a 7-2 lead.

Ellis, the only R.A. Long pitcher to allow a run, got the victory, working one inning with two hits, two walks and no strikeouts.

Lambert, who allowed just six baserunners (three hits, three walks) in five gutsy innings, took the loss.

The senior righty emerged last season as MM’s most consistent starter and is still grasping for command of his curveball. When he finds it, Bair said, “he’ll be a complete pitcher.”

“Lambert just competes,” he added. “He’s not overpowering, but he just battles.”

Harris left just after the mid-point of the three-hour game, so his brilliant 4 2/3 inning stint was easy to overlook. The junior right-hander scattered four hits, walked two and struck out seven while stranding three baserunners.

“He kept the ball down and pitched ahead in counts,” Castro said. “He gave them nothing good to hit when he was ahead in the count.”

Lumberjacks 7, Monarchs 2

R.A. Long 000 004 3—7 8 0

Mark Morris 000 002 0—2 7 4

Harris, Ellis (5), Frauenfeld (6) and Hudson; Lambert, Minium (6), Poole (6), Waldher (7) and Burgin.

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kinda funny wrote on Mar 28, 2008 7:50 AM:

" seems like every time there is a MM/RAL game, it reads "former Jack now playing for MM, or vice-versa." sure would be nice if kids went where they were supposed to from the beginning. when will someone step up and say you are going to school in the boundary you live in. nice win JACKS! "

MM 2002 wrote on Mar 28, 2008 9:08 AM:

" It doesn't matter if the kids are transferring schools. It happens all the time for many different reasons. It all comes down to a family's decision on which school is best for the student in question. I know people that transferred both ways (and in and out of district) in high school and everyone was happy with the decisions they made. If the students are doing well in the classroom and enjoying their activities it doesn't really matter where their house is. "

Jack Fan wrote on Mar 28, 2008 10:06 AM:

" Good job jacks. "

RAL Mom wrote on Mar 28, 2008 11:18 AM:

" Way to play ball Jacks, it was well worth the sit in the COLD!!! There are great players on both teams and my son grew up playing ball with many of them. It's fun to see them all playing together again, even though it's not for the same team. Good Luck to all of you boys. Go Jacks!!! "

Transfers matter!!! wrote on Mar 28, 2008 11:36 AM:

" What lessons are parents teaching their kids in this generation? When you don't get what you want, transfer! It absolutely matters MM2002. We as a culture have forgotten the meaning of loyalty. It seams that all of the local schools are guilty. RAL, MM, Kelso, etc... If you can't start at one school...tranfer. Don't like this coach...transfer. Break the rules at this school...transfer to another school who will look beyond the rules because of my talent. Need more exposure...transfer. I'm 6'9"...transfer.
Message to local administators - PLEASE TAKE A STAND! Say no to transfers for once. Just once! Reverse the trend. It make me sick! Worse yet are parents. BE PARENTS instead of trying to live out your failures through the eyes of your kids. It is pathetic that parents will not take a stand and teach their kids to deal with their situations at the neighborhood school. If your kid doesn't like his coach or program teach him the value of working through it. If you can't follow the rules at one school, you should't be playing at the other school. It's no wonder Cowlitz County is having the problems it's having. No regard for rules. Do what you want because it's all OK. Sex with kids, coaches, Meth., dirty dancing, etc... "

To: Transfers matter wrote on Mar 28, 2008 1:42 PM:

" Do transfers only matter in sports? If one school has a better English department and that is important to me why shouldn't I transfer? Similarly, if there is a science teacher that is known for a heavy use of demos and labs, and I want to go into a science career why shouldn't I transfer? My point is that there are many reasons a person might transfer and if one of them is better exposure to yield a college scholarship then so be it. Every school in this area has its strengths and weaknesses...I want my children that is the best school for them. I know that for several families that has meant sending students to two separate schools. By the way...if the student didn't choose the school that they are attending then who are we to demand that they have "loyalty" to that school? “Your parents bought a house on the hill so you HAVE to like MM, or you live next to the lake so you have to support RAL?” That doesn’t make any sense. Your point about breaking rules at one school may be valid. My hope would be that all schools have similar rules and if they are broken at one school the student would have to sit a year regardless of which school's team they decide to be with when they play again. "

sport wrote on Mar 28, 2008 1:42 PM:

" To "Transfers matter:" I AM one of 'those' parents, and it is not a bad thing. It is a choice we made as a family, we followed the correct procedures, and got approval. My kid has a near 4.0 GPA, takes AP classes, does plenty of community service, lettered in several sports and does not contribute to the world in the negative way you mention just because of a transfer. In fact, I know personally several of the other kids/parents you're speaking of and am confident they did what they felt was in their child's best interests - and it certainly did not all have to do with sports. The young men written about in this article are involved in a sport, keeping their grades up so they can continue, and should not be blamed for the local meth problem, adults having inappropriate relationships, or dirty dancing. Get real. Congrats to both the MM and RAL boys. Keep up the good work. "

devin hester wrote on Mar 28, 2008 2:01 PM:

" AMEN! "

knda funny wrote on Mar 28, 2008 3:32 PM:

" why even have boundaries then? somewhere along the line someone must have thought boundaries where important.
what about one high school towns, if the math teacher isn't great, what do you do, move? besides, a student's life is not determined by how many sweet science labs he/she does in high school. get your grades in high school, go to a good college and do your thing. your kids could not have done these same things at the high school he/she was supposed to go to? maybe if everyone went where they were supposed to go, the two schools wouldn't have a PERCEIVED difference. maybe the two schools should have academic clubs together? "

grad 1997 wrote on Mar 28, 2008 8:09 PM:

" wow complaining bout the weather in march in longview is like complaining bout how it rains around here. i played a game where it was hailing for 15 mins before the umps called it in till it was done hailing...now thats cold weather! "

sport wrote on Mar 29, 2008 11:01 AM:

" to: Kinda funny. The boundaries are for enrollment purposes, to keep the schools/classes at certain levels, not for any sport benefit. When Mt. Solo was built, boundaries were re-drawn, sending some kids to a MS and HS they wouldn't have originally been going to. And I think if a student has talent in science, he/she would want to be where the best opportunity is, same with sports, music, math, etc. It's their schooling, their future, not yours, so why would anyone else care? "

all we need is love wrote on Mar 29, 2008 11:13 AM:

" Many of these kids remain friends regardless of the transfers. They don't seem to have a problem with it. So perhaps the "perception" problem stems from alumni who can't let their high school memories go and allow these young people to create their own high school experiences - free of criticism or condemnation from people who should have no say about another families decision-making! "