Winning four games in five days, the Oak Harbor High School baseball team vaulted from ninth, and last, in the Western Conference North to third and back into the playoff hunt.
The Wildcats ripped Stanwood 12-2 in six innings Friday, April 9, in Oak Harbor to finish off a productive week. The ‘Cats are now 4-4 in league play, 7-5 overall, and trail unbeaten and state ranked Lake Stevens (6-0, 9-0) and Marysville-Pilchuck (6-0, 8-0) in the North.
The top five teams qualify for the district playoffs and Oak Harbor holds a slight lead over the tight race for third. Five teams in the North have four losses; Oak Harbor, halfway through its 16-game league season, has one or two wins more than the other four.
One of those teams is Monroe (3-4, 3-8), Oak Harbor’s next opponent. The Wildcats have the bye next Tuesday and Wednesday, then they go to Monroe Friday, April 16.
The win over Stanwood (2-4, 3-4) was the second of the week for Oak Harbor over the Spartans, and in both contests the Spartans’ mistakes helped the Wildcats to victory. Wednesday, the Wildcats won 5-4 and a got all five runs in the sixth inning on just one hit. Walks, a hit batter, an error and a wild pitch fueled the rally.
In Friday’s big win, Oak Harbor combined timely hitting with the Stanwood miscues (and its pitchers’ inability to find the strike zone) to breeze to the 10-run victory.
The ‘Cats scored in the first when Jay Stout got on board with one out via an infield hit. A walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases, then Stout scored on a fielder’s choice from Kian Mebane.
In the second, Wade Burns walked, Sam Wolfe doubled and Stout walked before Yale Rosen ripped a two-run single.
In the third, Mebane walked. Pat Higbee bunted and the throw to second to force Mebane was late. Nate Young bunted and the pitcher’s throw to third was wild and a run scored.
That made it 4-2; Stanwood picked up unearned runs in the second and third.
Oak Harbor pushed across two more in the fourth. Stout walked and eventually scored on a Mebane sacrifice fly to center. A balk plated the second run.
An error and two walks set up a sacrifice fly by Rosen in the fifth. Farnum followed with a two-run single, then after another walk, Josh Evans rapped a pinch-hit, run-scoring single to raise the score to 10-2.
The Wildcats ended the game in the sixth when the 10-run rule came into effect after Farnum doubled home two runs to score Sam Glavin (walk) and Rosen (single).
Oak Harbor pitcher Gabe Clark raised his record to 4-0 with a three-hitter.
The ‘Cats had seven hits. Farnum was 2-for-2 with four RBI; he was also hit by pitches three times. Rosen was 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Coach Tyson VanDam was pleased with his players’ approach at the plate: “They were working the pitcher deep into the count.”
He said the team’s recent turn around was also because the players were becoming more selfless: “We are starting to understand the unselfish part of the game. Our two-three-four hitters are willing to give themselves up.”
