Baseball: Oak Harbor falls to Edmonds-Woodway

For the second game in a row the Oak Harbor baseball team found itself in an early, deep hole; this time the Wildcats couldn't pull out the victory.

Visiting Edmonds-Woodway topped Oak Harbor 15-7 Monday, March 15.

Last Saturday the Wildcats fell behind Ballard 7-0 before rallying for a 13-11 win. Monday Edmonds-Woodway built a 12-0 lead after four innings and Oak Harbor didn't have enough offensive firepower to fight all the way back.

Oak Harbor coach Tyson VanDam said, "We would be all right if we stop spotting them runs."

Like the Ballard contest, a lack of control by the Oak Harbor starting pitcher and a slow-starting offense doomed the 'Cats early.

Junior Josh Evans had trouble finding the strike zone in the first two inning and gave up three runs in each. Two walks came around to score in the first, and two more in the second. He also walked in a run in the third.

The Warriors erupted for six runs in the fourth off Evans and reliever Peter Franssen to put the game out of reach.

Oak Harbor tried to fight back with seven runs over the next two innings.

In the bottom of the fourth, Jay Stout and Kian Mebane singled, then Brad Farnum singled home a run. Justin Counts walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, Gabe Clark rapped a two-run single. An out later Nate Young finished the scoring with his own RBI single.

The Wildcats scored three more in the fifth. Again Stout started the rally, this time with a triple down the left-field line.

Jack Richter reached on an error and David Tillotson walked to load the bases. Back-to-back walks to Counts and Pat Higbee forced in two runs, then a third scored on Yale Rosen's ground out to second.

Stout finished the day with two hits in three at bats and scored two runs. Young was two-for-four with an RBI.

Edmonds-Woodway collected 15 hits and received nine walks in the game, its season opener.

The Wildcats are now 1-1 for the year and travel to Sedro-Woolley Wednesday. Friday they host Mount Vernon at 4 p.m.

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

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.