Huskies handle challenging opening week slate

AURORA - North Marion's opening week schedule was laden with talented opponents, including the 4A state runner-up and a pair of 5A state playoff teams. All but one of the Huskies' five opening week opponents made a trip to the OSAA State Playoffs last year.

However, the Huskies finished week one with an impressive 4-1 record. Their one loss? Falling one run short to 5A quarterfinalist Corvallis.

Taking down some of the state's premier clubs at the 4A and 5A level seems to be a good sign for a program who is looking to have a winning record in the preseason for the first time since 2010.

Game 1: Scappoose at North Marion (Monday)

Monday's season opener snapped the Huskies three-game losing skid to Scappoose, who had ended North Marion's season in the play-in round in 2011 and 2012. Brock Breshears, Emry Patterson, and Jordan Kendall combined for nine strikeouts as the Huskies kept Scappoose off the scoreboard. North Marion picked up single tallies in the first and third innings as they held their 2-0 lead through the final four innings to claim victory.

Breshears started on the mound and pitched four innings of three-hit ball. In the batter's box, Brock managed to drive in one of the two Huskies' scores. Kyle Williamson was the offensive highlight, going 2-for-2 with a triple while scoring both of North Marion's runs. Both teams collected five hits on the day. The Huskies took advantage of three walks while their pitching staff didn't walk anybody.

Game 2: Corvallis at North Marion (Wednesday)

The Huskies met up with their first upper-classification opponent on Wednesday, and they proved that they could play stride-for-stride with their larger opponent. North Marion scored in the first inning on a Wampole sac fly, but would go silent for the six remaining innings. Corvallis pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead.

Hunter Beachy got the start for North Marion and pitched five clean innings before giving up two Corvallis runs in the sixth. Beachy gave up five total hits while striking out five and walking just one. Jordan Kendall finished things off in the seventh inning, but the Huskies' offense failed to score as the Huskies were handed their first loss of the year. Kyle Williamson followed up Monday's perfect day from the plate with an impressive 3-for-4 performance.

Game 3: Wilsonville at North Marion (Thursday)

After losing in walkoff fashion to the Huskies on Opening Day 2013, Wilsonville was looking for revenge in this year's opening week matchup. North Marion quickly put the Wildcats' revenge bid to bed after a five-run second inning, propelling the Huskies to an easy 12-2 win over the 2013 state semifinalist Wildcats.

Offensively, Emry Patterson, Tristan Wampole, and freshman Dylan Doubrava all collected two hits on the day, powering North Marion's twelve-run, ten-hit day. Wampole recorded four RBIs to lead the way for the Huskies.

Parker Nielsen struggled on the hill for Wilsonville, lasting under two innings while surrendering three hits, three walks, five runs, and six wild pitches.

Relief pitching was just as rough for the Wildcats as Colin Etcheberry navigated three innings but gave up seven hits, seven runs, and five walks.

Brock Breshears got the win on the mound for the Huskies, allowing just four hits and two runs. Breshears struck out three.

Game 4: Philomath at North Marion (Friday)

The lengthy parade of impressive opponents continued at Bob Brack Stadium on Friday, as Philomath - 18-6 2013 RPI No. 3 - matched up with the Huskies. The Warriors were the first to strike, plating a couple of runs off of starter Jordan Kendall in the first inning. North Marion countered with three runs of their own in the third to take a lead they wouldn't give up. The Huskies tacked on a couple of runs in the fifth inning to knock off Philomath 5-3.

Emry Patterson went 3-for-3 from the plate recording a triple and a pair of RBIs. Tristan Wampole added two hits and two RBIs as the Huskies finished the day with eight hits. North Marion was able to overcome three errors on the day, largely in part to a seven strikeout performance from Kendall.

Game 5: North Marion at Newport (Saturday)

The Huskies hit the road for the first time in the 2014 campaign, paying a visit to the Newport Cubs, the 2013 Class 4A runner-up. North Marion got on the board early, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. The Huskies would go on to score in five of the seven innings, including a four-spot in the fourth inning.

Emry Patterson scattered nine hits over six innings of work, leaning heavily on his defense to make plays to limit Newport to three runs. Emry also helped his cause with a career-high seven strikeouts on the day.

North Marion doubled four times in the game, recording the most two-baggers in a single game since a 12-2 defeat of Madras on May 16, 2011. Tristan Wampole also picked up his second career home run, blasting a pitch over the center field wall to score a pair of runs.

The Huskies were out-hit 13-7 and recorded four errors to three for Newport, but the Cubs issued eight free passes to the tune of four walks and four hit batsmen. Brock Breshears closed things out in the seventh inning, but not before surrendering three runs. North Marion's seven-run lead heading in to the bottom of the seventh was more than enough to survive the three-run Newport rally.

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Through the opening week, North Marion outscored their opponents 30-13, especially succeeding in the second and fifth innings where they outscored opponents 12-0. Emry Patterson, Kyle Williamson, Tristan Wampole, and Dylan Doubrava all hit over 0.400 on the week. Last year's first team all-state individuals highlighted North Marion's offensive efforts, as Williamson led the team in runs and hits with eight apiece and Wampole leads with nine RBIs. Williamson and Patterson each swiped four bases.

Next up, North Marion will play host to the annual North Marion Spring Break Tournament, taking place on Monday and Tuesday after being moved one day earlier to avoid any weather issues. The Huskies will meet up with Cleveland (5A, 1-2), Siuslaw (4A, 2-0), and one other to-be-determined opponent over the course of the two-day round-robin tournament.

Other Notes

The Huskies last started the season 4-1 in 2011 after impressive wins over Canby, Y-C, and Central, but went on to lose five of their final six non-conference games... It takes returning to 2010 to find the Huskies' last winning preseason when the team went 6-3... North Marion's five games played is the most games played at the 4A level and second most at any level... After 2A Toledo (5 wins), the Huskies and Tri-Valley Conference foe Gladstone are the only teams in the state at any level to reach four wins... Kyle Williamson and Tristan Wampole are well on their way to batting over 0.400 for the second consecutive year which would make a strong case for first-team all-state honors once again... Freshman Dylan Doubrava is batting 0.400 after ten at bats; the highest a freshman has batted since 2009 was Nat Barrell, who batted 0.185 in 2012... North Marion ranks seventh in runs scored in Class 4A with 30...

#2014 #regularseason