Doubrava's RBI double sinks Cascade
AURORA - A ball driven to deep center field by Dylan Doubrava carried over the head of the center fielder, plating the Huskies go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth. North Marion went on to defeat Cascade 5-4 on Friday afternoon at Bob Brack Stadium to slide into the second place spot in the Oregon West Conference standings.
The Huskies (6-3) and Cougars (5-4) will resume the three-game series on Monday in Turner.
North Marion took advantage of some shaky starting pitching by the Cougars, using four free passes and two base hits to plate three runs in the first inning.
Matt Robinson - in his first career start - limited Cascade to just one hit through the first three innings of play. The right-hander finished the day with four innings of three-run baseball while only allowing one walk.
The Huskies extended their lead to 4-0 in the third inning thanks to a bases-loaded, run-scoring single by Andy Schmitz who is batting .500 in league play (13-for-26).
Cascade's offense flipped a switch in the middle innings, scoring all four of their runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth frames to knot the score at four. In the midst of their scoring frenzy, the Cougars notched seven base hits.
The Huskies defense used a double play in the fourth, a bases-loaded fly out in the fifth, and a bases-loaded pop-up in the sixth to get themselves out of jams and keep Cascade's damage to a minimum.
Emry Patterson belted a ball to deep right-center field in the home-half of the sixth, reaching third base on his second career triple, his first of the season. Doubrava stepped in and hit the ball just deep enough to carry over the center fielder's head and bring home the go-ahead run.
Schmitz pitched a clean seventh inning for the Huskies who improved their overall record to 9-11 on the season. In his eighth appearance of the year, Schmitz recorded his first career win on the mound, pitching the final three innings allowing just two hits.
North Marion's ten-hit performance marked the first time in 2015 that the Huskies recorded back-to-back double digit hitting outbursts. Doubrava notched his first career three-hit day, driving in a pair of runs to boot.
The series shifts to Turner where the two clubs will meet at Cascade High School on Monday. The Huskies look to clinch a series victory which could prove important down the stretch in any tiebreaking scenarios. First pitch is set for 4:30pm south on I-5.
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