Huskies recover from early deficit, pull out 7-5 win in extras
GLADSTONE, Ore. - On a rainy Tuesday in Gladstone, North Marion allowed the Gladiators to get off to a hot start, as they picked up three runs in the opening inning. However, the Huskies worked their way back into things, chipping off runs here and there to pull even. In the all-important eighth inning, North Marion was at its best as the Huskies plated three runs off of four hits and one Gladiator error. It was about time for a close game to fall in the Huskies favor, and this time it finally did.
Gladstone's pitcher, Dakota Braun, got off to a rough start, delivering a four-pitch walk and a hit batsmen to the two leadoff batters for the Huskies. Kyle Williamson advanced all the way to third, but Braun settled down as the inning moved on; he was able to retire the last two North Marion batters to end the Huskies' threat.
Junior Wyatt Moore was on the mound for the Huskies, and he had some trouble in the early goings also. In the bottom of the first, the Gladiators struck for four hits, counting up three runs, to take the commanding 3-0 lead. However, Moore got the kinks worked out and did not allow a single hit through the next three innings.
As Wyatt was holding the Gladiators' bats steady defensively, North Marion began working their way back into the swing of things offensively. In the third inning, Nat Barrell picked up a base hit through the hole at shortstop. Barrell had a solid day at the plate, breaking out of his early-season offensive drought. Breshears followed Barrell with a single, and Barrell eventually scored on a fielder's choice RBI by Brandan Hopper.
The top of the fifth is when most of the damage was done for the Huskies. Trailling 3-1, Brock Breshears stood in and was hit by a pitch to achieve first base. Kyle Williamson singled to second base on his at bat on a hard hit ball that got the better of the Gladiators' second baseman. The elder of the Williamson brothers belted a ball to deep right field, scoring Brock from second, and pulling the game within a single run. On the heels of Zach's double, Hopper grounded out to short, which scored Kyle Williamson. The final run of the inning came when Tristan Wampole - who also broke out of his slump on the day - singled up the middle to score Zach. The three run, three hit inning propelled North Marion to the 4-3 lead over Gladstone.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Gladstone looked to reclaim their lead. The Gladiators did get as far as three hits which was good enough to tie the game, but they could not snatch back the lead. On an extremely close play, it was ruled that Brandon Royal at third tagged a stretching Gladiator out for the third out just a split-second before the lead runner touched home. Much to the dismay of those wearing the orange and black, the run was not counted and the game remained tied.
Both teams kept each other in check in the sixth and seventh innings, but the Huskies did play with some fire in the bottom of the seventh, when Gladstone had the chance at a walkoff win. Trace Webster began the inning with a single, and was advanced to second on an errant pickoff attempt. So with no outs, Gladstone had a runner in scoring position, needing just a run for the win. However, Wyatt endured the ensuing at bats, where he struck out a Gladiator for the first out of the inning. He then forced a line drive, which was reeled in by Kyle Williamson at shortstop, who in turn touched second base to retire Gladstone's advancing runner. North Marion supporters breathed a sigh of relief, as the game was going to extras.
A tough loss in eleven innings just eight days ago was still fresh in the mind of the Huskies, but they ushered that aside as they awoke for a big inning. Wampole got the inning started off with a base hit, deciding to swing at a late-breaking curveball. The result was a slow-roller up the third base line, which he beat out just in time to receive the base hit. Freshman Emry Patterson replaced Wampole at first, for the upgrade in speed; this move turned out to be key in the Huskies' comeback. Two outs were recorded consecutively, but one of the outs was productive as Moore's sac bunt advanced Patterson to second. Brandon Royal came up big as he singled up the middle and Patterson used his speed to slide home safely, giving North Marion a 5-4 advantage. Following the old addage, "No lead is a safe lead," the Huskies did not stop there. Nat picked up his second hit of the day which scored Royal and back-to-back walks allowed Barrell to walk home safely, giving the Green the 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the inning.
Gladstone did pick up a run in the bottom to make things interesting, but Moore endured through the last at bats, and he struck out the Gladiators' last batter to earn the complete game win for him, but more importantly, the win for the team.
Wyatt's performance on the mound was not necessarily flashy, but it was more of the consistent effort that the coaches are looking for. Wyatt allowed four earned runs off of nine base hits, while striking out six batters. Moore used 124 pitches to get through the eight innings, marking his second extra-inning performance in as many games. He improves to 2-1 after the win, with all of his decisions coming in complete games.
Offensively, Nat Barrell, Tristan Wampole, and Brock Breshears all had two-hit days. As all three of those hitters have struggled in the recent games, their multi-hit performances were all the more important in the Husky win. Also earning base hits for North Marion were Zach and Kyle Williamson, Wyatt Moore, and Brandon Royal. Although he could not record a base hit, Brandan Hopper drove in two RBIs, making his day productive nonetheless. The Huskies as a team ended the day with seven runs off of ten hits.
After playing in many close games as of late, it felt good to play in another where the Huskies came out on top. North Marion improved their league record to 2-3, while the overall record stands at 5-8. The Huskies square off against Gladstone again on Thursday, coming from Bob Brack Stadium at 5 p.m.