Sean C. Morgan and Scott Swanson
Sweet Home blew through the first round of the state 4A baseball playoffs Friday, May 18, dispatching Central 14-1 in five innings under the 10-run rule during a play-in game at the Huskies’ home field.
“Heck of a game,” said Coach Matt Matuszak. “We’re feeling really good. We’re very confident. We’re very comfortable. We’re playing really well right now.”
The Huskies advance to the next round at North Valley in Grants Pass at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Central got its only score in the first inning, when lead-off batter Wes Riddel doubled and then came home on a single by Brandon Cutsforth. That was when Sweet Home pitcher Justin Rice settled down and effectively shut down the Panthers through the next four innings, allowing only four hits through the fourth inning as his teammates built their 14-1 lead.
Four of the Huskies’ first five batters, Jeremy White, Austin Rice, Hunter Bidwell and Kyle Winslow, scored in the bottom of the first to give Rice a 4-0 lead. Rice, Bidwell and Colton Holley added three more in the second inning finishing off Cutsforth, Central’s starter.
Colton Holly slides home for a score during Sweet Home’s 14-1 win over Central Friday. For many more photos see the Baseball Photo Gallery at sweethomenews.com.
Sweet Home batted through the order, scoring six runs in the third, then finishing off Central with two more in the fourth.
The Panthers mounted their only serious challenge in the top of the fifth, loading the bases after Rice struck out lead-off hitter Nick Jandl. But after their second batter, Riddel, got thrown out at second, Rice finished them off with a strikeout of Andrew Hasbrook for the win – those two his only strikeouts of the game.
J. Rice pitched a complete game, striking out two batters, hitting two batters and giving up two walks and three hits.
Rice just set a school record for league earned run average, .68; and it was the best ERA in the conference.
At bat, White went 1-2 with two runs; Christian Voldbaek, 1-2, with two runs; Bidwell, 3-4, with a double, two runs and three RBIs; J. Rice, 1-3, with two runs and an RBI; Nate Melcher, 2-3; Cory Hanks, 1-3, with a run and an RBI; and Holly, 1-1, with two runs. A. Rice scored two runs.
“Our kids just did a great job preparing,” Matuszak said. The Huskies put together a game plan knowing what type of pitching they would see.
“It was the most focused we’ve been all year,” he said, and his team brought a lot of fire and intensity. The Huskies settled down quickly after a couple of early errors.
“We just went down and practiced hard all week,” Bidwell said. “We had to win it. We came out and played the best baseball we’ve played all year. We got up, and we just kept going, and going and going.
The team is feeling good about the win, Bidwell said, and they think North Valley is beatable.
Looking ahead, Matuszak said he has good scouting reports for North Valley.
North Valley is a good team, which played in the state championships last year, Matuszak said, but that’s not fazing his team.
“If we play the way we did Friday, we could beat anybody,” Matuszak said. North Valley is a power team that doesn’t play much small ball. The Knights make their living off doubles, extra-base hits and homeruns.
“We’re going to have to keep the ball down in the zone, rely on some off-speed and keep them off balance a bit,” Matuszak said. “I think we’ve got a good chance to beat them. We’re just going to have to play our game, which is more small-ball. Our goal is to some pressure on them, make them make mistakes.”
“Our mental focus is really good,” Bidwell said. “This game is going to be a lot about mentality.”
Central 100 00 – 1 3 2
Sweet Home 435 20 – 14 11 3