"They didn't know that the seventh inning would be our best inning!" Huskies defeat Mo

MOLALLA, Ore. - Although the cliché, "It's a great day for baseball!" didn't necessarily apply Thursday night in Molalla, it was a great day for the Huskies as they picked up the 8-2 win over the Molalla Indians. Just twenty-four hours after being beat by the Indians, the Huskies traveled right back to Molalla for the second game of the young league season, a game which was moved to Molalla at the last minute due to field conditions. North Marion sort of stumbled their way through the opening innings of the game, but kept on their feet for a late-game offensive surge to overcome Molalla at Al Geddes Field.

Zach Williamson attempted to get the Huskies offense going in the top of the first inning, as he singled to left-center field. However, North Marion's inning was abruptly ended shortly thereafter with two quick outs.

Molalla pushed their first run accross the plate in the bottom of the first inning, after a double deep down the left field line scored one Molalla run.

The Huskies didn't take long to get into the scoring action, when they began to hit the ball with ease in the top of the second inning. Wyatt Moore, Brandon Royal, and Danny Robles all recorded second-inning hits for the Huskies, and Robles' hit scored Moore, tying the game at one apiece.

Thanks to the outstanding pitching by Sophomore Brock Breshears, Molalla had trouble getting anything going for the rest of the game. Brock sat down the Indians' lineup in order in both the second and third innings. His stat line encompassed the great day he had on the mound, which included pitching the full seven innings and striking out eleven Molalla batters while allowing just two runs, a single walk, and six hits. Brock used 97 pitches to pick up the complete game win, joining Wyatt Moore as the only two Huskies this season to complete the feat of the complete game win.

In a 1-1 tie ballgame, Molalla did reclaim their lead in the bottom of the fourth as a single followed up by an RBI-double brought home a run for Molalla; what would turn out to be their final run of the game.

The feeling around the game became tense, as one could remember back to just a day prior, when the Huskies struggled to close a game out strongly. But as coaches Randy and Ty Brack continued to preach throughout the game, "Being 0-2 is a heck of a lot different than being 0-1." North Marion took that thought into mind when they came out for the fifth inning, and Brock Breshears opened up the inning with a base hit. Helped out by a base hit later in the inning and a throwing error by the Indians, the Huskies tallied two runs to take their first lead of the game, at 3-2.

Brock took his talents from the batter's box back to the pitching mound when he sat down three of the four Molalla batters in order, and drawing a ground ball from the one he couldn't retire. North Marion picked up an additional run in the top of the sixth, when Robles - who reached base via a strong double - took two bases on a sacrifice bunt by Nat Barrell. The throw to the plate beat Danny, however, the catcher could not complete the play with a tag and Danny was safe.

Heading into the final inning with a 4-2 lead, the coaching staff knew the two run edge would not bring about a for sure 'W', as coach Randy Brack repeated to the team, "Guys, they didn't know that the seventh inning would be our best inning! Let's go do this!" Boy, was he right. North Marion sent ten batters to the plate in the seventh inning, and tallied four runs to break open the game. The first run of the inning came when Zach Williamson scored on a squeeze bunt by Wyatt Moore - who leads the team in the sacrafice category. Robles came through with a clutch RBI-single, scoring Hopper. Breshears patiently waited during his at bat, and drew a bases loaded walk, bringing home Royal. And rounding out the big inning, Robles scored when Kyle Williamson reached base on a bobble by the first baseman, on a play where the inning appeared to be over. The Huskies did leave the bases loaded, but there was a sense of security with the 8-2 cushion.

Facing the 8, 9, and 1 hitters, Brock Breshears stepped back on the mound, looking to close out what he had started. Brock did just that. The first two batters in the inning did reach base off of a single and Brock's lone walk of the game, but he sat down the next three Indians - the 2, 3, 4 heart of the lineup - in order, ending the game with a fly out to left-center field, which was reeled in by Hopper to seal the victory.

Senior Danny Robles - who was the second baseman for the game - had a breakout performance with three hits, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Wyatt Moore was also stellar from the plate with two hits, one run scored, and one RBI. Also tallying hits for the Huskies were Williamson, Hopper, Royal, and Breshears - all earning one apiece to account for North Marion's nine hits. Zach Williamson also led the team in stolen bases, as he swiped two on the day. Moore and Hopper were close behind, each having stolen bases of their own.

Molalla used three pitchers in the game, including C.J. Stith, who went the first five innings, giving up seven hits and three runs, while striking out four. The middle reliever - Luke Ellis - struggled to throw strikes, as he surrendered five runs coming off of just two hits, but four walks. A third and final pitcher pitched the final out, but by that time it was far too late.

Brock Breshears picked up his second win of the 2012 season, marking the first Huskies pitcher to achieve more than one win. Brock's ERA is down to 1.84, marking the best Husky ERA with greater than two innings pitched.

North Marion is batting 0.272 as a team, with hot bats in the hands of Wampole (0.391), Breshears (0.381), and Moore (0.379). Although Tristan did not record a base hit in this particular game, he still leads the team far and away in RBIs with 15. Moore leads the team in hits with eleven, while Hopper has touched home the most times at eleven. From a fielding standpoint, Wyatt is the only Husky consistently in the starting lineup with a perfect fielding percentage.

Thursday's win improves the Huskies league record to 1-1, and their overall record to 4-5. Molalla falls to 1-1 and 5-2 respectively. The Molalla-North Marion series marks two out of three Tri-Valley Conference games played, as La Salle defeated Madras 10-7 in the only other competition that has been able to be played.

Next up, the Huskies look to host their first league game, against the La Salle Falcons, who are currently ranked sixth in the state with their impressive 6-2 record. North Marion is ranked ninth in the state, the best team with a less than .500 record. First pitch on Monday is scheduled for 5PM from the West Coast's #1 High School Baseball Facility.

#2012 #gamerecap #regularseason