Huskies advance to state playoffs with 12-5 win
- Josh Hauser
- May 22, 2015
- 3 min read
AURORA - North Marion took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning and didn't look back in a near wire-to-wire win over No. 18 Cottage Grove in front of a packed house at Bob Brack Stadium on Thursday evening.
The No. 13 Huskies (14-13, 10-5) advance to the first round of the state playoffs where they will travel to a to-be-named opponent. It is North Marion's third consecutive trip to the state playoffs. The Lions (15-12, 6-9) will not make the state playoffs at all after losing in the first round last year.
Cottage Grove briefly held a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning after North Marion starter Hunter Beachy (5-3, 5.21) allowed a walk and two base hits.
The Huskies ensured that the Lions' lead would be short lived, plating four runs in their first time at bat. The bases were loaded for Jordan Kendall after two walks and a bunt single. Kendall doubled down the left field line - something he has become very adept at as of late - to clear the bases and give North Marion the early 3-1 lead. Kendall himself would come into score on a sacrifice fly by Beachy.
Beachy kept Cottage Grove at bay while the Huskies added runs here and there to extend their lead to 8-1 by the fifth inning. In the second, Kendall walked with the bases loaded to pick up his fourth RBI of the day. Doubrava and Beachy both picked up RBIs in the fourth on a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly, respectively. Nat Barrell hit a solo homer in the fifth, the catcher's first home run of the season and third of his career.
Cottage Grove put their best foot forward in the top of the sixth inning, scratching across three runs to at least make things interesting in the late stages of the game. The Lions used three hits and two free passes to pull within four at 8-4.
North Marion quickly took away any shadow of a doubt by scoring four runs in the sixth inning on three base hits and several Lions miscues. Three of the Huskies runs were unearned due to errors by the Cottage Grove infield.
The top of the seventh saw the Lions add one more tally off of Kendall in relief, but the Huskies still triumphed over Cottage Grove by a sizeable seven-run margin. The 12-5 victory marked the third straight postseason win by six or more runs for North Marion dating back to last year's 11-5 and 12-3 victories.
The Huskies amassed ten hits in Thursday's contest, improving to 7-2 in games where they record double digit hit totals. Everyone in North Marion's starting lineup recorded a base hit for just the second time this season (previously May 11 vs. Stayton). It was the sixth time this season that a Huskies opponent comitted five or more errors with North Marion winning all of them.
Kendall highlighted the Huskies' offensive totals with four RBIs while Barrell's two hits paced the team.
North Marion improved its all-time record in play-in games to 1-2, playing at home for the first time and winning for the first time since the system was introduced in 2011.
A trip to the first round of the state playoffs is the Huskies' next stop, advancing to the state tournament for the 28th time in the school's history. North Marion's 28 appearances are tied for fourth-most among 4A schools (Newport, 45; Henley, 33; Klamath Union, 31).
The Huskies most likely opponent is No. 8 Baker (14-10, 9-3), a trip which will send North Marion six hours across the state of Oregon next Wednesday. The Huskies will be placed on the bracket as either a No. 10 or No. 11 seed with both seedings resulting in a date with Baker due to OSAA policies of teams from the same league avoiding first round matchups.
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