Wildcats run short of upset at district | Baseball

A rally came up a run shy and the visiting Oak Harbor baseball team missed out on upsetting No. 1 seed Meadowdale in the first round of the district tournament Monday, May 7.

Oak Harbor (8-12) now plays a loser-out game at No. 5 Ferndale (13-8) at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Golden Eagles lost to Mountlake Terrace 8-2 Monday.

The Wildcats came into the Meadowdale game as the lowest seed in the eight-team tournament and put a scare into the Mavericks. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but was rained out.

The Mavs led 5-0 going into the sixth when Oak Harbor scored four runs. Coach Tyson VanDam said if Oak Harbor had pulled out the win it would have sent "shock waves" through the tournament.

Sam Glavick singled and was forced at second by Jack Richter. David Kusnick singled, then Austyn Walker drove in a run with a pinch-hit single. Mitch Mertins singled in another run, followed by a sacrifice fly by Brandon Bailey. Anthony Stewart's single plated the fourth run.

The rally ended on a controversial call and cost Oak Harbor at least one run. Cory Cameron's liner was snared on a diving catch by the Meadowdale center fielder; however, Oak Harbor thought the ball was trapped.

Dimitri Munoz started for Oak Harbor and "pitched great," according to VanDam. Munoz had two outs in the fourth, down 2-0, with runners at the corners. A slow roller to short pushed in another run. Grant Schroeder took over on the mound and another roller to short and an error allowed two more runs to score.

VanDam said not charging hard enough on those two grounders proved to be the difference: "Those two mental mistakes might have cost us the game."

Richter and Glavick each finished with two hits.

Contact Whidbey News Times Sports editor Jim Waller at jwaller@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5060.

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