A disputed call brought an abrupt end to the Oak Harbor High School baseball season as the Wildcats lost 4-3 at Marysville-Pilchuck in a loser-out district tournament game Tuesday, May 7.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh and the score tied at 3, Marysville-Pilchuck’s Kyle Nobach stole home for the winning run. The play started as a suicide bunt. Nobach broke for the plate as pitcher Grant Schroeder began his windup. The Tomahawk hitter whiffed the bunt on a low pitch that skipped to Oak Harbor catcher Mike Maletto.
Maletto dove and appeared to tag the sliding Nobach out, but Nobach was called safe.
Both benches erupted, Marysville-Pilchuck in jubilation and Oak Harbor in disbelief.
After the game the plate umpire explained to Oak Harbor coach Tyson VanDam that Nobach popped up from his slide and stepped over Maletto’s tag.
The call was a fitting end for the umpire’s day’s work as he frustrated both teams with his inconsistent strike zone.
Nobach’s questionable run wasn’t the only excitement in the bottom of the seventh.
M-P entered the inning down 3-2. The leadoff hitter, pitcher Cody Anderson, walked and was replaced by courtesy runner Tyler Wade. The second hitter put down a sacrifice bunt. Oak Harbor third baseman Jack Richter charged to field the bunt and bobbled the ball.
Wade, noticing Richter vacated third to field the bunt, took off for the base but lost the race as Richter hustled back to make the tag.
The Wildcats averted that problem, but not the next. Nobach stepped to the plate and lined a triple over the head of Oak Harbor right fielder Cory Cameron, setting up the messy finish.
The game finished badly for the Wildcats but began every well. The first three batters all reached base and all scored; however, that would be it for the rest of the game as Anderson continually wriggled out of trouble and blanked Oak Harbor the final six innings.
Schroeder started the Oak Harbor uprising in the first inning by getting aboard when the M-P first baseman dropped his pop up. Brent Mertins was hit by a pitch and Richter singled to load the bases.
Austyn Walker, making his season debut coming off an injury and grade issues, bounced the ball up the middle. Nobach, the Tomahawk second baseman, back-handed the ball and flipped it to the shortstop for the force at second, but the shortstop dropped the ball, Schroeder scored and everyone was safe.
David Kusnick walked to force in the second run. After a strikeout, Anthony Stewart grounded to first, driving in Richter.
Another strikeout ended the inning.
Oak Harbor never scored again but had plenty of chances. Anderson struck out nine, six with runners in scoring position. In all, Oak Harbor left 10 on base.
The Wildcats had only four hits, singles by Richter, Cameron, Walker and Maletto.
Marysville-Pilchuck got one run back in the first on a walk, wild pitch, ground out and sacrifice fly.
A double and single scored the Tomahawks’ second run in the fourth.
Schroeder threw a five-hitter, striking out three and walking two.
Oak Harbor (11-11) entered the tournament as one of Wesco’s hottest teams, having won nine of its final 11 regular-season games.
The Wildcats nearly upset Glacier Peak (16-6) before falling 2-1 in the tournament opener. That was followed by another one-run loss in another upset bid. Maryville-Pilchuck (17-5) won the Wesco North and defeated Oak Harbor three times by a combined score of 23-4 during the regular season.
VanDam said, “We played well on defense; Grant pitched well…I feel bad for our seniors.”
It was a tough way for Oak Harbor, which started the spring with a 2-7 record, to end its season.
