Clutch hitting and pitching helped Oak Harbor move into first place in the Wesco 3A baseball standings with a key 4-3 10-inning win at Mountlake Terrace Tuesday, April 5.
The victory pushed Oak Harbor (6-1, 3-0) into a first place tie with Shorewood (5-2, 3-0) and knocked Terrace (7-3, 4-1) out of the top spot.
The Wildcats and Mountlake Terrace tangle again Thursday, April 7, in Oak Harbor at 4 p.m. in a makeup game for today’s rainout. Oak Harbor hosts Shorewood Friday at 4.
Terrace was picked to finish second in the preseason coaches’ poll, Shorewood first and Oak Harbor fourth.
Oak Harbor, which has won six straight, is ranked ninth in this week’s Washington Baseball Poll.
With one out in the 10th inning against Mountlake Terrace, Sam Glavick and Gabe Clark singled to set up Justin Counts’ game-winning base hit.
Then in the Terrace half of the 10th, Oak Harbor pitcher Josh Evans gave up a leadoff walk, and then a stolen base put the tying run at second. After a strikeout, a fly-out to right moved the runner to third. With the tying run 90 feet away, Evans struck out the final hitter to secure the Wildcat win.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Hawks loaded the bases with two outs against Evans, but the Wildcat hurler halted the rally with a three-pitch strikeout.
Evans held the Hawks in check with four-and-a-third innings of scoreless relief. He gave up two hits and three walks and fanned three.
A Terrace error helped Oak Harbor get the win. Down 3-2 heading into the seventh, Jay Stout led off with a walk and stole second. Two strikeouts put the game in jeopardy, then Ryan Byrne hit a chopper to short. The Hawk fielder’s throw to first was low and bounced away from the first baseman, enabling Stout to scurry home from second with the tying run.
Oak Harbor picked up the game’s first run in the third when Yale Rosen doubled home Peter Franssen who had singled and moved to second on Sam Wolfe’s base hit.
MLT scored in the bottom of the third to tie it.
Clark hit a long homer to left to put the ‘Cats up 2-1 in the fourth, but the Hawks countered again in the bottom half to knot it at 2.
Terrace scored in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead.
Rosen and Clark each went 3-for-5; Clark added a double to his home run.
Counts, Stout and Evans were 2-for-5; Stout and Evans hit doubles.
Stout was the starting pitcher, throwing five-and-two-thirds innings, and gave up three runs, six hits and five walks while fanning one.
Stout and Evans were backed by an errorless defense.
Coach Tyson VanDam said, “We pitched really well.” He added that the Hawks were aided by two wind-blown doubles.
Both teams threatened throughout. VanDam said, “There seemed to be runners on every inning.”
Oak Harbor rapped out 15 hits, Mountlake Terrace had eight hits and received eight walks.
