North Marion has field day with bottom-dwelling Molalla
AURORA -- Things got off to a dicey start at Bob Brack Stadium, as Molalla held a 3-1 lead after one and a half innings, but the Huskies outscored the Indians 11-1 in the remainder of the game to sweep the season series with the Indians.
The game started out with Huskies' pitcher Spencer Beachy striking out the side to shut the door very quickly on the Indians in the first inning.
North Marion left fielder Zach Williamson struck out in the Huskies' first at bat of the game, but reached base on a passed ball that traveled all the way to the backstop. This foreshadowed what the Indians' defense would be like on the day, as they ended up with six errors, four wild pitches, two passed balls, and two hit batsmen. A confused Indians' defense didn't know how to handle a slow-rolling infield hit by Huskies' second baseman Chandler Willcuts. In an attempt to get Willcuts out at first, Molalla's starting pitcher, who was covering first, dropped an easy toss and an easy out for the first of the Indians' six errors. The ball carried into foul territory, and Zach Williamson scored all the way from first on the play.
The second inning, the only great inning for the Indians offense, started out with a double to deep left-center. Three more base hits, a fielder's choice, and a North Marion error pushed across three runs for the Indians, giving them the temporary 3-1 lead over a shocked Huskies ball club.
North Marion did not take long to set foot on the comeback trail. Beachy was hit by a pitch and went on to steal second base. Senior shortstop Robert Ramirez singled through the hole at second base, advancing Beachy to third. Molalla's defense would offer a helping hand once again, as junior Brandon Royal reached first on an error, scoring Beachy. Senior first baseman Adam Hayden hit a ball deep to the right field warning track, scoring Royal. Williamson also singled, scoring Hayden, wrapping up the Huskies' scoring in the second.
In the Huskies' third, Hopper hit a base hit to third, and worked his way around the bases on a stolen base, wild pitch, and passed ball. Beachy was walked and Ramirez singled, prompting a pitching change in as early as the third inning for Molalla. The change did not help the Indians cause, as a single by Royal and a sac fly by Hayden pushed across two more Husky runs.
The fourth inning started with a bang for the Huskies, literally, as Williamson homered to right-center field on the first pitch, about 360 feet for his first longball of the season, and just the team's third. Willcuts singled to left field, but Molalla's left fielder badly misjudged the ball on the bounce, and Willcuts cruised into third base on the two-base error. A wild pitch scored Willcuts to account for the Huskies' second run of the inning.
Molalla scored one run on two hits and one North Marion error in the top of the fifth inning, but missed a big opportunity as they left the bases loaded. The game was still within reach for Molalla, with a score of 7-4 after four and a half.
Two additional Indians' errors put Hayden in the position to hit a sacrafice fly, scoring Ramirez for the Huskies' lone run of the fifth inning.
The Huskies did not slow down at all during their last time at bat. Willcuts hit a hard ground ball that hit third base and carried high in the air, letting Chandler get to second base. Hopper was hit by a pitch and senior catcher Ian Moore singled through the hole at shortstop, bringing in Willcuts. Ramirez then hit a 2-RBI double to deep right-center, a hit that may be the highlight of any other game, but with the Huskies' big bats during this affair, it was a hit that may be overlooked. The Indians responded by replacing their pitcher, brining in freshman arm Ryan Potter. Yet another Indian error allowed senior pinch hitter Alvin Castro to reach base, but the inning was abruptly ended by Hayden grounding into a 4-6-3 double play.
Hayden was moved from first base to pitcher, reliveing Beachy who went six innings, scattering nine hits, but just two earned runs. Three strikeouts accounted for the Indians' last three outs of the ball game.
North Marion scored a run in every inning, and scored more than one run in four out of six innings. This was the latest development in an extremely disappointing season for Molalla, who saw their record drop to 2-19 overall, and 1-11 in league play. The Huskies improved their record to 13-10, 7-5 in league play.
The Huskies continue their busy week with a game vs. Gladstone at Bob Brack Stadium Wednesday evening at 5pm. The Gladiators are sitting in second place in the Tri-Valley conference now, with a 9-3 league record. The first two games of the Husky-Gladiator series were split even. In the first meeting, the Huskies jumped out to an 8-1 advantadge, and cruised to a tight 8-7 win. In the second matchup, the Huskies got a great day out of pitcher Spencer Beachy, but their offense could not capitalize as they were shut out 2-0 at Gladstone High School.