Philomath 7, Sweet Home 5
The Huskies came close but couldn’t quite cover a 7-5 deficit, losing to Philomath Saturday at home on the baseball diamond in their final regular season game.
“This was an exciting game with 22 hits and a lot of offense,” Coach Dan Tow said. “We were sloppy at times, and we played well at times. In the end, our defensive mistakes were too much to overcome.
“We had several guys really hit the ball well, and I thought T.J. Sipe threw very well in relief.
“Defensively, I thought we were a little spotty. We had several plays that really hurt us, but we also had numerous good plays that kept us in it.”
Philomath took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Huskies scored one run in the second, and both teams scored a pair of runs in the third, leaving Philomath ahead 4-3. Philomath brought in three runs in the top of the fifth, but the Huskies only managed two, setting the final score at 7-5.
J.P. Williams was starting pitcher and losing pitcher. Dan Haynes was winning pitcher. Sipe threw two and one-third innings of scoreless relief for the Huskies.
At bat, Williams went 3-3 with a double and two runs. Brock Cota went 2-2. Gavin Kauffman went 2-3. Brad Valloni went 2-4 with a two-run home run and two runs. Andrew Winslow went 1-2 with an RBI, and Leif Erickson went 1-3.
Motter went 3-4 to lead Philomath.
The game leaves the Huskies in third place from the Val-Co, and they will host a state playoff game on May 22 against the number-three team from the Greater Oregon League.
Philomath 202 030 0 €“ 7 11 1
SH 012 020 0 €“ 5 11 2
Sweet Home 1, Taft 0
The Huskies defeated Taft 1-0 on May 7 at Lincoln City behind a solid pitching performance from Gavin Kauffman.
“Gavin was outstanding tonight on the mound,” Tow said. “He threw a complete game and a five-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and only one walk.
“We played well defensively behind him, and J.P.’s solo homerun provided all the offense we needed.
“Fortunately, we stranded numerous runners, but to give them credit, they made plays when they had to, and Ehrenfelt pitched very well.
“This was a big win for us because it guarantees a berth in the state playoffs.”
Kauffman was wining pitcher. Losing pitcher was Zach Ehrenfelt.
At bat, Williams went 2-4 with a solo home run. Kauffman went 2-3. Winslow went 1-2 with a stolen base. Valloni went 1-3 with a stolen base. Levi Marchbanks went 1-3.
SH 100 000 0 €“ 1 7 2
Taft 000 000 0 €“ 0 5 2
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