With a rough patch of games in its rearview mirror, the Oak Harbor High School baseball team moved ahead with two feel-good wins over Lynnwood this week.
The Wildcats, who lost three of four games heading into the
Lynnwood series, reclaimed their mojo with a 10-0, six-inning win in Lynnwood
Tuesday, April 19, and a 15-0, five-inning trouncing at home Wednesday, April
20.
The wins also took some of the sting out of the news that center fielder and leadoff hitter Sam Wolfe will likely miss the remainder of the season with a broken hand injured while sliding in last Friday’s loss to
Everett.
In the pair of wins, Oak Harbor collected 29 hits (11 for
extra bases) while limiting to the Royals (2-13, 1-7) to five. The pair of wins
also pushed Oak Harbor’s records to 10-4-1 and 7-3 and solidified the Wildcats’
second-place spot in the Wesco 3A standings.
Oak Harbor entertains Meadowdale (4-9, 3-5) Friday at 4 p.m.
Although the Wildcats scored singles runs in the first and
fourth innings in the first win over Lynnwood, they couldn’t cash in on several
other excellent scoring opportunities until the sixth inning. Oak Harbor left
two runners in scoring position in first, third and fifth innings.
Nothing was left undone in the sixth when Oak Harbor scored
eight runs and slugged five consecutive extra base hits.
Sam Glavick and Justin Counts started the big inning with
singles. After an out and double steal,
Peter Franssen ripped a two-run single. Jay Stout walked, then came the power
display. Gabe Clark doubled, Yale Rosen tripled, Josh Evans doubled, Ryan Byrne
doubled and Glavick finished what he started with a double.
Oak Harbor’s run in the first came from a Stout walk, Clark
single and Evans double.
In the fourth, Glavick singled and scored on Counts double.
In a statistical oddity, the first six Royal outs came on ground
balls to shortstop Clark.
Pitcher Stout took a no-hitter into the fifth inning; he
gave up three hits, struck out three and walked three. He was helped by an errorless defense that
turned three double plays.
Lynnwood committed just one error Tuesday, but its sloppy
play Wednesday helped fuel the hot Oak Harbor offense in the 15-0 rout.
With two outs in the first inning, Rosen beat out an infield
single and scored on Evans’ double.
A nine-run second inning finished off the Royals.
Franssen singled with one out, stole second, moved to third
on a ground out and scored on a balk.
That could have been it, but a Lynnwood error kept the inning alive and
the Wildcats plated eight more runs.
Oak Harbor blended hits by Clark, Rosen, Byrne (double) and
Franssen with three more errors, a hit batter and a walk for the 10-0 lead.
In the third, Evans singled and scored on Byrne’s second
double.
In the fourth, a walk and two hit batters loaded the bases.
Singles by Clark and Rosen and a ground out pushed in four more runs.
Clark threw a two-hitter, striking out five and walking two.
Coach Tyson VanDam said, “This will give us some confidence
heading into the Meadowdale series.”
