The Oak Harbor Legion AA baseball team closed out its nonleague schedule with a pair of wins at Sequim Sunday, July 8.
Oak Harbor (6-7, 11-13) won 7-3 and 10-6 and now finishes up the league slate with three games this week. The Wildcats go to Lynden at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, to Stanwood Wednesday and then host Lynden Thursday.
It is unlikely fifth-place Oak Harbor will finish among the top three in league and qualify for district, but the Wildcats still have a mathematical chance.
In the opening game of Sunday’s double header, the Wildcats collected only two hits, but seven Sequim errors, five walks and two hit batters helped Oak Harbor push across seven runs.
Oak Harbor scored in the first on two errors and Jack Richter’s sacrifice fly.
In the second, it scored two more on three errors and Jozef Mendoza’s single.
Oak Harbor loaded the bases in the third on walks to Richter and Daniel Wolfe and a hit batter, Brent Mertins, and then scored three runs on a sacrifice fly from Clay Doughty, an error and Anthony Stewart’s base hit.
Mendoza walked in the sixth and eventually stole home for the final run.
Starting pitcher Doughty held Sequim scoreless until the sixth when it scored all three of its runs. Andrew Snavely pitched the seventh.
In the five-inning second game, it was Oak Harbor’s turn to commit seven errors, but the Wildcats were able to overcome the shaky defense with seven hits and taking advantage of Sequim walks, hit batters and three errors.
The ‘Cats looked like they would blow Sequim out early with a six-run first inning, but Sequim came right back and scored five in the bottom half and another run in the second to tie it at 6.
Oak Harbor bounced back to score one in the third and three in the fourth to collect the win.
In the first, Nate Stanford was hit by a pitch, Mike Maletto walked and Mertins was hit by a pitch to fill the bases. Grant Schroeder drove in one run with a sacrifice fly, then David Kusnick plated two more with a single. A single by Snavely, a groundout by Brandon Bailey, an error off the bat of CJ Meders, and Stanford being hit by another pitch produced three more runs.
Sequim responded with five runs in the first on two hits (one an inside-the-park home run), a hit batter and four Oak Harbor errors.
In the third, Snavely walked, Doughty put down a bunt single and Stanford’s grounder was booted to give Oak Harbor a 7-6 lead.
In the three-run fourth, Oak Harbor scored with the help of singles by Schroeder, Snavely, Meders and Stewart and an error.
None of the runs scored against pitcher Mertins were earned.
Snavely went 2-for-2 and scored three runs.
