In the Media: Huskies now in a battle for third after split with Gladstone
AURORA — Coming off two games against La Salle, where North Marion was outscored by 16 runs, the Huskies needed a big win to get them back on track in Tri-Valley Conference play.
That win came April 19, as the Huskies squashed a seventh inning rally by Gladstone to secure an 8-7 victory at home.
“We really needed that, especially after last week,” said North Marion coach Randy Brack.
The Huskies seemed to be in complete control for the early portion of the game, staking out an 8-1 lead heading into the top of the fifth.
Although Gladstone picked up three runs in the fifth, North Marion still owned a four-run cushion entering the final frame.
But when the first five Gladiators reached base in the top of the seventh and eventually put the tying run on third base, the Huskies had to buckle down for the final three outs, starting with a key double play from a makeshift middle infield.
It was Spencer Beachy, normally a pitcher and outfielder, who initiated the 4-6-3 twin-killing for the first two outs of the inning.
Beachy was playing in the infield because the team’s usual second baseman, Danny Robles, suffered an injury the night before in practice and Chandler Willcuts, who started the game at second, had taken over on the mound for starting pitcher Kip Pearson.
Willcuts recorded a strike out to end the game, stranding the Gladiators’ tying run on third base.
Brack said the team seemed to relax too much with a seven-run lead early in the game, but praised the way the Huskies played defense.
Shortstop Robert Ramirez, the middle man of the Huskies’ 4-6-3 double play in the seventh, was a workhorse defensively. He converted all nine chances in the field, including a stellar diving play up the middle, without making an error.
Meanwhile, Pearson was steady on the mound until being hampered by fatigue in the seventh.
“He mixed pitches well and really did a good job,” said Brack. “He started to throw a few more fastballs in the middle innings and they started to hit him then, and then he came back and started to mix some curve balls in early in counts and got back into a good groove. I think he just kind of wore out there toward the end.”
Pearson threw six innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits, while walking one and striking out one for his team-leading third win of the season.
Offensively, the Huskies started the game quickly, as Ricky Verastegui’s two-run, two-out double put North Marion on the scoreboard in the second.
The Huskies stretched their lead to 4-0 in the third inning, then gave themselves an 8-1 advantage with a four-run outburst in the fourth, highlighted by Beachy’s two-run double.
North Marion also had an opportunity for an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on second and third with no outs, the Gladiators retired three straight hitters beginning with a strike out of Beachy, one of the most reliable contact hitters in the Huskies’ lineup.
In 16 games played, it was only the second time Beachy had struck out all season. He finished the game with team-highs of two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Willcuts also had a pair of base hits and center fielder Brandon Hopper also had a pair of runs scored.
On Thursday, the Huskies suffered a 2-0 loss on the road against Gladstone, unable to capitalize on six solid innings on the hill from Beachy.
Beachy needed just 56 pitches to go the distance, scattering eight hits, while walking one and striking out four.
However, Gladstone pitcher Hector Campos held the Huskies to just five hits — three of which came off the bat of Hopper, who also had a pair of stolen bases, but was stranded in scoring position twice.
The loss dropped North Marion (9-8 overall, 3-3 TVC) into a tie for third place with Madras (4-11, 3-3).
Gladstone improved to 4-2, while La Salle remains unbeaten at 6-0.
This week, the Huskies play two games against Estacada — on the road Tuesday and at home Thursday.