Oak Harbor claims 3rd | Legion

The Oak Harbor Legion baseball team placed third in the eight-team Steamer Tournament in Anacortes last weekend, June 21-23.

The Oak Harbor Legion baseball team placed third in the eight-team Steamer Tournament in Anacortes last weekend, June 21-23.

It was a nice rebound for Oak Harbor after dropping three league games earlier in the week.

Oak Harbor crushed Phifen of Bellevue 22-5 in the game for third Sunday after splitting its four pool games.

Bellingham scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the seventh to beat Oak Harbor 1-0 Friday in the first game that eventually decided who would win the pool.

Saturday Oak Harbor topped Snohomish 8-1 and Juanita of Kirkland 8-2.

Sunday morning, Ferris of Spokane edged Oak Harbor 3-2 in eight innings in the final pool game.

In the game for third, Phifen led 2-1 until Oak Harbor pushed across seven runs in the third. Oak Harbor had only two hits in the inning, singles by Brent Mertins and Jack Richter, but was aided by two walks and four hit batters.

Oak Harbor upped the lead to 12-4 and then doused any Phifen hopes of a comeback by scoring 10 runs in the top of the seventh. At one point Oak Harbor hit three consecutive doubles (Richter, Bailey and Jozef Mendoza). Bailey finished the frame with another double and Koby Cosper, Teddy Peterschmidt and Danny Wolfe also singled in the inning.

Bailey and Richter each ended up going 3-for-5; Richter picked up the pitching win.

Wolfe was 2-for-3.

In the opening loss to Bellingham, Mertins collected three of Oak Harbor’s five hits.

Oak Harbor threatened in the fourth when it loaded the bases with no outs, but a 6-2-3 double play and flyout ended the inning.

A double and then a two-out single won it for Bellingham in the seventh.

Peterschmidt pitched a complete-game five-hitter with four strikeouts and no walks.

In the win over Snohomish, Oak Harbor scored five runs over the first two innings and was never threatened.

Wolfe earned the win, striking out two and walking three (none after the second inning).

Richter was 3-for-3 and Mertins 2-for-5.

The Juanita game followed a similar pattern with Oak Harbor jumping to a 5-1 lead after three innings.

Bailey was the winning pitcher, giving up four hits and walking four to go along with five strikeouts in five and a third innings.

Anthony Steward ripped a three-run triple, Richter had a double, Peterschmidt finished with two singles and Mendoza and Casiano Atienza each walked three times.

In the loss to Ferris, the Saxons hit a home run in the second inning and held a 1-0 lead until the seventh. Oak Harbor tied it when Bailey led with a single, moved to third on an error and scored on Peterschmidt’s deep fly.

By tournament rules, each team started the eighth with runners at second and third with no outs. Oak Harbor scored on Rhys Mattila’s long sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ferris scored on a passed ball and error to claim the win.

In league action earlier in the week, Oak Harbor lost twice, 6-0 and 5-2, at Anacortes Tuesday, June 18, and 2-1 at Marysville Wednesday.

Oak Harbor (11-7) goes to Lynden Tuesday, June 25, and then hosts Lynden at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

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Oak Harbor’s Danny Wolfe pitches the Wildcats to a win over Snohomish Saturday.