Royals win state Class A Legion baseball title

The amazing season of the Mountain Home Royals American Legion baseball team continues down its successful road.

A road that has taken them from a District title in Boise to the Class A State Title in Coeur d'Alene.

The road now leads to Sheridan, Wyo., for the Northwest Regional that starts Friday.

Mountain Home 6

Jerome Tigers 0

The Royals opened state play last Thursday afternoon against the Jerome Tigers, the third-place team from Area C, and right from the start it was a pitching duel between Mountain Home's Michael DesPres and Jerome's Jared Sauer.

The Royals managed six hits off Sauer through the first five innings, but could not cross home plate.

Things finally opened up for them in the sixth inning, when Tim Whitmarsh's bases-loaded single scored the first run of the ball game.

Mountain Home went on to score five more runs in the inning, more than enough for Michael DesPres, who scattered five hits while striking out 13 batters.

"That was great!" said a happy Royals head coach Mark Cotton in radio comments after the win. "It was a great performance by Mike DesPres. Talk about kids being in a zone, it seems like he's in the zone every time he comes out. He threw great today. He was huge for us.

"Tim Whitmarsh was a huge part of that win, too. Tim had the hit that scored our first run. I can't say enough about the character of this team and the way they went about things today. It was beautiful!"

Alex Hoffman led a 12-hit attack with three hits, including a double and an RBI. Bret Young, Joe Poseley and Tim Whitmarsh each had two hits, Young and Whitmarsh had RBIs. Whitmarsh's proved to be the game-winner.

"It was just an all right hit up the middle," said Whitmarsh. "He threw me my pitch, so I decided to hit it. I'm just glad DesPres threw as good as he did, or we'd have been in trouble."

Aaron Swartz had a double and and RBI, and Michael DesPres and Jake Hiler also had hits.

Michael DesPres improved to 6-2 on the season with the shutout win.

"I knew it was going to be a close game today and I was going to have to have my best stuff," said DesPres after the game. "In the late innings going through the lineup was really tough, because towards the end they were starting to sit on my off-speed stuff, so I had to mix it up a lot more towards the end there."

Mountain Home 5

Upper Valley 4

Michael DesPres came on in relief to shut down the Upper Valley Bulldogs last Friday night, and knocked in the winning run with two out in the bottom of the seventh, as the Royals advanced to the semi-finals with a 5-4 come-from-behind win.

Upper Valley, a team from the Rexburg area, got to Royals starter Bret Young for two runs in the top of the first, but Young tied the game at 2-2, with a two-run double in the bottom half of the inning.

"I started throwing hard from the beginning and that wasn't working, so I slowed it down and just tried to hit my spots. I couldn't do that through seven, but DesPres came on and shut them down," said Young after the game.

Upper Valley regained the lead in the second, 3-2, and led until Aaron Swartz's RBI-ground-out tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth.

Kace Farley led off the top of the seventh with a double, and moved to third on a ground-out. Michael DesPres came on in relief and got two great defensive plays by Cal Vivier at second base to end the inning, but Farley scored to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

An error after back-to-back walks to Alex Hoffman and Chris Rau scored one run to tie the game at 4-4. Bret Young, who had reached on the error, stole second, and went to third on a passed ball. Michael DesPres then smacked a base hit to left field that scored Young and gave the Royals a 5-4 win.

"I'm about speechless!" said Coach Cotton after the game. "I can't believe that they came back. I definitely thought it was possible, it's just when you're in those situations it's easy to think you're going to lose one of those games by one run, and when things happen early in the game in a close game, you can always look back on one or two plays that would have made a difference, but we came through.

"Cal Vivier made some awesome defensive plays, and Mike DesPres was huge for us, coming in and shutting them down, and getting the game-winning hit. Bret Young battled all day. He didn't have his best stuff, but he got it done, and these guys have humbled me all season, and I guess I should be surprised."

Michael DesPres and Bret Young both had two hits, Young, a double and two RBIs, DesPres, the game-winning RBI. Alex Hoffman, Joe Poseley and Jake Hiler also had hits, Aaron Swartz had an RBI.

Bret Young had six strikeouts in six-and-a-third innings of work.

Michael DesPres got the final two outs and the win to improve to 7-2 on the season.

Moscow 13

Mountain Home 1

The semi-finals saw the Royals handcuffed by Moscow's Marquis Miller Saturday night. The Royals had nine hard-hit fly balls, but all were caught for outs, as the Royals managed just three hits off Miller.

The Blue Devils, meanwhile, got to Royals starter Chris Rau for

five runs in the first inning. Moscow got to Mountain Home relievers Jeff Vogl and Jordan Cisna for five runs in the seventh to put it out of reach.

"We were stinging it all night," said Coach Cotton after the game. "Every ball we hit hard. I don't think we even had a strikeout until the last inning. If we get that first inning back, I think it's a whole new ball game.

"Chris (Rau) threw a great game. He was not getting the outer half (of the plate), and that's where his bread and butter is, on the outer half, so he had to start coming in on them, and those guys are dead pull hitters, and that made a big difference there. I'm not going to fault the umpire, that's just the way his zone was."

Aaron Swartz, Alex Hoffman and Michael DesPres had the only hits for the Royals.

Mountain Home 8

Upper Valley 5

The loss to Moscow put the Royals in a Sunday morning game against the Upper Valley Bulldogs, who had battled back with two wins after losing to the Royals on Friday. Mountain Home was out-hit, 13-6, but took advantage of eight walks by Upper Valley pitchers to shoot out to an 8-1 lead. One of the Royals hits was a two-run homer by Chris Rau in the third inning.

"It's about time I get a hit!" said Rau after the game. "I'm like one for 20 in the tournament. I've been hitting the ball, but it's just not dropping. It felt good to get one under my belt -- it pumped the team up."

Upper Valley got to Royals starter Jake Hiler for two runs in the fourth, and added two more in the sixth to cut the Mountain Home lead 8-5.

When Tyler Patterson doubled to lead off the Upper Valley seventh, on came Michael DesPres, striking out two and getting a fly ball to end the inning and the game.

"We came out really swinging the sticks today," said Coach Cotton. "Jake (Hiler ) threw an awesome game. He was right around 100 pitches."

Jake Hiler improved to 4-1 on the season, going six innings, striking out six batters.

"I was feeling really good, but I wouldn't have been able to do anything without the help of my teammates swinging the sticks," said the Royals' lefthander. "That team can really hit the ball, but I just felt really good today."

Michael DesPres earned the save, pitching a scoreless seventh inning.

Mountain Home Royals 9

Moscow Blue Devils 3

The Upper Valley win Sunday morning earned the Royals another shot at Moscow in the championship round Sunday afternoon.

The game featured another pitching duel, this one between Mountain Home's Michael DesPres and Moscow's Ross Steele.

Mountain Home managed a run in the first inning, and broke it open with six runs in the third, sending 11 batters to the plate in the inning.

Moscow got to Michael DesPres for three runs in the sixth inning, but the Royals right-hander had a strong seventh to throw a complete game five-hitter, striking out 12 to win his third game of the tournament.

"We needed that game big time, and I didn't know if my arm was going to hold out that long, and about the middle of the game I couldn't even feel my arm anymore. I was just up there throwing and it worked out for me. I can't describe how I feel right now!"

"The guys came out and swung the sticks!" said Coach Cotton after the win. "That's the best I've seen us hit in a long time, and obviously, Mike DesPres, I can't say enough about that kid! He's got three wins in the tournament, a save, and a game-winning hit. He's done it all for us! He's definitely the best pitcher I've seen at this level. He's got a great future ahead of him."

Besides the great effort on the mound, DesPres also had three hits including two doubles and drove in three runs. Joe Poseley, Alex Hoffman and Cal Vivier each had two hits, Poseley, a double and two RBIs, Hoffman, a double and one RBI. Bret Young had a hit and RBI, and Aaron Swartz and Jake Hiler also had hits.

Royals 8

Moscow 6

The Sunday win over Moscow forced another game with the Blue Devils on Monday morning to determine the state champion.

The Blue Devils got to Bret Young for four runs in the third inning, but Aaron Swartz came on in relief and shut Moscow down.

Mountain Home had scoring opportunities in every inning against Moscow starter Cole Broenneke, who walked five and hit eight batters in six innings of work, but it wasn't until the fifth that the Royals got on the scoreboard, plating three runs to cut the deficit to 4-3.

Moscow got scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to increase their lead to 6-3, but the Royals sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth, and Tim Whitmarsh's single gave the Royals a 7-6 lead. They would score once more in the inning to make it 8-6.

In the Blue Devils' seventh, after Aaron Swartz fell behind in the count to Cole Broenneke, 2-0, on came Michael DesPres, who struck out Broenneke. Phil Gettings singled off DesPres, but the Royals ace got Aaron Gardes to fly out, and struck out Paul Wimer to end the ball game, the Royals claming an 8-6 win and the state Class A championship.

Cal Vivier and Alex Hoffman both had two hits for the Royals, Vivier scored two runs, Hoffman had an RBI. Chris Rau and Tim Whitmarsh both had RBI-singles. Joe Poseley and Jake Hiler also had hits, and Aaron Swartz had an RBI.

Aaron Swartz picked up the win, to improve to 3-0 on the season.

"That was my first time pitching in about four weeks," said Swartz after the game. "I was a little nervous when I first came in, but I was able to start throwing strikes. I struggled at the end, but DesPres came in and closed out the game."

The save by Michael DesPres was his third of the season and second of the tournament.

"My arm felt good in that last inning and I had some adrenaline going, so I told coach to just put me in and I'll shut it down, and that's what I did."

"Just for the record, he asked to throw in that seventh inning," Coach Cotton said of DesPres. "There wasn't even a thought in our minds to bring him back. He came up and said, 'Give me the ball.'

"He was a huge part of this weekend for us. Three wins, two saves and a game-winning hit -- unbelievable! I've never been around a kid like that!"

Royals hitter Tim Whitmarsh was once again modest in post-game comments, downplaying his game-winning hit.

"I just did what I could and tried not to strike out."

The Mountain Home Royals now head to the Northwest Regional Class A Tournament at Sheridan, Wyo., opening Friday afternoon against the Washington state champion.