Cubs top Huskies 11-6, clinch league title
NEWPORT - Newport used three two-run doubles and a two-run homer to take an 8-0 lead in the first inning. The Cubs went on to defeat the Huskies 11-6 and clinch an Oregon West Conference Championship on Wednesday afternoon from Frank Wade Field.
The Cubs (18-5, 12-2) took a three-game lead over North Marion (12-13, 9-5) in the conference standings with just one game left to play. Newport's league title is their first since 2011, snapping a streak of three consecutive Oregon West titles claimed by Philomath. The Huskies had won two straight league championships in the Tri-Valley Conference.
Junior Matthew Robinson (3-2) made a Wednesday start for the first time in 2015 but lasted just one out. Freshman Andy Schmitz took over on the mound and pitched a career-high 5.2 innings, limiting the scorching hot Newport offense to just three runs over the final five frames.
North Marion's offense made things interesting as the game wore on, trimming Newport's deficit to two runs at 8-6 before the Cubs scored three more to put the game out of reach.
The Huskies ended the day with ten base hits, their eighth double-digit hitting output of the season. Combined with Monday's 16-hit affair, North Marion has put together back-to-back performances of ten or more base hits for the second time this season.
North Marion played errorless baseball for the second straight game and fourth time in the last six outings.
Coupled with a Cascade victory on Wednesday, the Huskies loss sets up a battle for second place on Friday with the Cougars. The winner of Friday's contest will claim second place in the Oregon West Conference and automatically qualify for the hosting of a home play-in game. The loser will finish third and will most likely travel in the play-in round, pending the final release of OSAA Rankings.
To add to the excitement, Friday night is Senior Night where six Huskies will play their final regular season game at Bob Brack Stadium. First pitch is set for 4:30pm from the ballpark.