Mater Dei Becomes This Year’s First-Round Casualty at Classic

Every year in the first round of the National Classic, one team learns the hazards of not being mentally ready to play.

Mater Dei was taught that lesson Monday. The Monarchs came in flat for their game with Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe and got flattened, 6-2, at El Dorado High.

The visiting Wolves broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the fifth, picked up another run in the sixth and let senior left-hander Kyle Shoemaker (7-0) lull the Monarchs to sleep with curveballs on the hands and tailing fastballs away. Mater Dei had just five hits, and never had more than one hit in an inning.

“We came out a bit flat today and were outplayed,” Mater Dei Coach Bob Ickes said.

By contrast, the Wolves got 10 hits off Mater Dei freshman right-hander James Webster (3-1) and reliever Matt Coy.

“This was a big win for us,” Santa Fe Coach Lonny Cobble said. “Everyone we talked to about Mater Dei said, ‘Those guys can play.’ And they can; I wouldn’t want to play them every day. But we felt if we could avoid the big inning and get them to hit the ball at us, we had a chance.”

The game came down to Santa Fe (17-3) taking advantage of its opportunities, and Mater Dei (8-2) failing to do so.

In the bottom of third, down 2-1, Mater Dei loaded the bases with no outs. Pat Manning, who had homered in the first, grounded into a double play while Mike Harris scored.

“After that inning Kyle got comfortable out there,” Cobble said.

In the fifth, when Santa Fe loaded the bases with one out, Barrett Whitney drilled a soft curve from Webster into right center for a two-run single. Josh Onderek scored the third run in the inning when shortstop Manning’s throw to the plate skipped past catcher Josh Hansen.

Shoemaker drove in Santa Fe’s final run with a single in the sixth.