After the Oak Harbor High School baseball team jumped to an early lead, Everett took over and rolled to an 11-3 win over the host Wildcats in the season and conference opener Thursday, March 16.
Oak Harbor now travels to Eastern Washington for a pair of non-league games this weekend. The Wildcats play host Hanford at 6 p.m. Friday and then face Pendleton, Ore., in Hanford at 11 a.m. Saturday. On the trip home Sunday, Oak Harbor will stop by the University of Washington to see the Huskies play Utah and to tour the UW baseball facilities.
In the Everett game, Oak Harbor scored twice in the first inning and once in the second to go up 3-0. Everett erupted for six runs in the third inning and added five more over the next three to secure the win.
In the Wildcat first, Dylan Bailey led off with a bloop single. After one out, back-to-back singles by Trent Benson and Steven Richards scored one run. James Besaw’s fielder’s choice tallied the second run.
In the next inning, Aiden McCarthy was hit by a pitch, then courtesy runner Austin Boesch moved to second on Chad Spradlin’s single and scored on Bailey’s base hit.
Singles by Benson, Besaw and Bailey were the only other hits by Oak Harbor over the final five innings.
Everett started the third inning with a walk and five consecutive hits on the way to scoring six runs. The Seagulls scored two runs in each of the next two innings and once in the sixth.
Oak Harbor was hurt by four errors. Four Wildcat pitchers combined to walk four and strikeout six.
Everett committed three errors, and two pitchers fanned five and walked none. The Seagull batters registered 10 hits, four by Caden Lockhart.
Oak Harbor co-coach Cody Anderson liked how the Wildcats started the game and how they executed earlier.
That execution disappeared as the game progress.
“We are a young team, so that is going to happen,” Anderson said. “We just need to limit how much it happens.”
Anderson noted the strong play of Bailey and Benson, adding, “Sophomore Austin Boesch came in and had two good at bats.”
