By Keeghan Gittins
For The New Era
No. 5 Newport ran the table on Sweet Home last week, but the losing scores did not tell the whole story for the young Huskies, who closed the gap as the series progressed.
“Our defense has been top-notch the last four games, dating back to Game 3 against Cascade (on April 24),” Coach Evan Teter said.
Newport 9, Sweet Home 0
Opening the week at home Monday, April 28, Sweet Home kept the high-powered Cubs offense scoreless through four innings.
Cohen Gutierrez started the game on the mound for the Huskies, pitching five innings, Gutierrez faced 24 batters, with 63% of his throws strikes.
“We struggled on the offensive side,” Teter said.
Every player but Kyle Zajic struck out at least once, 12 K’s in total. Newport was only up 1-0 going into the top of the sixth, but then the Cubs scored five in the sixth and another three in the seventh, ending the game 9-0.
Newport 5, Sweet Home 1
The only road game of the series followed a similar pattern, with the Huskies playing strong defense early and holding the Cubs scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when Newport scored three runs, followed by two more in the sixth.
Zajic was first to take the mound, pitching 4½ innings, retiring three batters. Lynkin Royer relieved him, only allowing two more runs.
“Our pitching has been on a different level than Sweet Home baseball has seen in years. Our starters, Cohen Gutierrez, Kyle Zajic, and Luke Rosa have provided us with high-quality performances,” Teter said.
Offensively, Sweet Home continued to struggle, finishing with double-digit strikeouts.
Zajic and Tregon Francis were bright spots at the plate, each recording a double, with Francis scoring the Huskies’ only run.
Newport 7, Sweet Home 5
The final game of the week was an extra-inning thriller that the Huskies lost 7-5.
Sweet Home trailed 2-0 after the first inning, and the Cubs extended their lead with another run in the fourth.
“We were down at various points, but never out,” Teter said.
A Conner Northern double, and a pair of singles from Francis and Gutierrez drove in two runs.
Newport responded with two more runs before Sweet Home answered with one of its own. “Damon Lawrence came up clutch for us in the bottom of the sixth, hitting a 2 RBI single to tie the game,” Teter said.
The Huskies were able to keep Newport scoreless for the final two innings to keep the game tied.
“Our defense continued to make big plays, and we limited a very good offensive team in Newport,” Teter said.
“Luke Rosa threw a great game, and Lynkin continued to be a strong presence as a relief pitcher.”
The game was pushed to extra Innings, Newport was able to get the bases loaded but could only score two runs before getting their third out. Zajic was struck out for the first time in the series to end the game, 7-5, Newport.
“Although we came up short this week, I’m extremely proud of our guys,” Teter said. “They’ve shown a lot of growth over the course of the season, making weaknesses and continuing to develop their strengths. They have been so coachable, and stayed positive even when things aren’t looking great. I’m so excited to see them continue to develop and grow as athletes and men over the rest of the season and beyond.”
Looking ahead, Sweet Home will face North Marion in a three-game series next week. The series opens on the road Monday, May 5, continues at home on Wednesday, May 7, and wraps up with another away game on Thursday, May 8.
A chance for a third-place finish in the Oregon West Conference was not out of the question for the Huskies coming into this week. At 2-7 in league, coming into Monday’s game, Sweet Home was tied with Cascade and North Marion for fourth, one game behind Stayton (3-6). Newport (ranked fifth) and Philomath (No. 3) were tied at 9-0, entering the series that will rearrange the league order.
If the Huskies can deliver some wins this week, they should still be in the running for a playoff berth, as the final week of OWC play may end up being all about that as they face Stayton, with home games on May 12 and 15, and a road game on May 14.